Springboks retain the Rugby Championship crown after beating Argentina 2927 October 5, 2025 at 12:07 AM 0 1 / 3APTOPIX Britain Argentina South Africa RugbySouth Africa's Malcolm Marx, center, scores a try during the Rugby Championship match between Argentina and South Africa at Twickenham stadium, i...
- - Springboks retain the Rugby Championship crown after beating Argentina 29-27
October 5, 2025 at 12:07 AM
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1 / 3APTOPIX Britain Argentina South Africa RugbySouth Africa's Malcolm Marx, center, scores a try during the Rugby Championship match between Argentina and South Africa at Twickenham stadium, in London, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON (AP) — South Africa retained the Rugby Championship crown for the first time after beating Argentina 29-27 at Twickenham on Saturday.
The Springboks won the title on points difference from New Zealand after one of the tightest championships in history.
The All Blacks beat Australia 28-14 in Perth hours earlier to put pressure on the Springboks to win, and they delivered in typically punchy style.
They didn't lead until the 44th minute, gradually overwhelming the Pumas with the power of their set-piece.
Taking advantage of the superior muscle up front, scrumhalf Cobus Reinach — eventually named the player of the match — and hooker Malcolm Marx scored two tries each.
The Pumas weren't as close to South Africa as the scoreline suggested. They scored two late converted tries but finished with the wooden spoon for the first time since 2022.
Argentina gave up the scheduled home match to relocate to Twickenham for bigger ticket revenue, and the Springboks felt more at home thanks to expatriates filling an impressive crowd of 70,360. They celebrated the Springboks' sixth title in 30 tournaments and their first back-to-back crowns.
It didn't go to plan at the start.
Center Canan Moodie was yellow-carded in the second minute for head-on-head contact, and moments later Argentina gave right winger Bautista Delguy space and time to bust through Reinach and Ethan Hooker to the try-line.
South Africa's first scrum tighthead was rewarded with a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu penalty.
World Cup winner Ox Nche gave a torrid time to scrum opposite Francisco Coria Marchetti, who debuted in June against the British and Irish Lions and always appeared off the bench until Joel Sclavi was injured on Friday in the captain's run. That forced the Pumas to start Coria Marchetti, their 10th change to the starting XV that lost to the Springboks 67-30 in Durban last weekend.
Despite Nche being the only change to the Springboks starting XV, they struggled to click at Twickenham. Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the star in Durban, passed over Cheslin Kolbe's head in one of 10 handling errors in the half.
Santiago Carreras' second penalty extended Argentina's lead to 13-3 then Moodie was lucky not to receive a second yellow card and subsequent red when his deliberate knock-on was only penalized.
But South Africa finished the half strong. Lock Eben Etzebeth was held up over the line by Pumas flyhalf Geronimo Prisciantelli but when No. 8 Jasper Wiese lost control of a pushover try attempt, Reinach was too close to the line to be stopped.
The second half started badly for Argentina. Loosehead prop Mayco Vivas was sin-binned for a high tackle, and South Africa drove the subsequent lineout, dishing a 26th test try for Marx.
South Africa finally had the lead and an extra man. RG Snyman took over for Etzebeth, who went to the blood bin, and his pop-up helped Reinach burrow over for his second try and extend the lead to 22-13.
Before the game was an hour old, Marx regained an Argentina lineout tap down from his own throw-in then crashed over for his second try of the match. It also was his 17th in championship history, tying him with Richie McCaw for the most tries by a forward.
When Coria Marchetti injured his right leg, the Pumas finishing props were four-cap Boris Wenger and 20-year-old debutant Tomás Rapetti. They were consoled by Delguy's second try from a wild pass by Kolbe, and fellow wing Rodrigo Isgro scoring after the hooter from a crossfield kick by Santiago Carreras.
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Source: "AOL Sports"
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