In a heart-pounding clash at Twickenham, South Africa clawed back from an early deficit to edge Argentina 29-27 and seize The Rugby Championship crown for a sixth time—snatching it from New Zealand by the finest of margins: points difference.
Needing only a win after the All Blacks’ earlier bonus-point victory over Australia, the Springboks made life difficult for themselves early on. A string of uncharacteristic handling errors saw them trailing 13-3, and then 13-10 at the break, despite dominance at the scrum.
But then, the beasts awoke.
Galvanized after halftime, the Springboks turned to their greatest strength—their brutal, unrelenting pack. Malcolm Marx thundered over twice, and Cobus Reinach added a second try to his tally as South Africa powered to a seemingly unassailable 29-13 lead. It was rugby at its rawest—scrum-driven, physically punishing, and breathtaking.
Argentina, brave to the bitter end, refused to lie down. A sharp interception by Bautista Delguy and a stunning wide finish by Rodrigo Isgro closed the gap and rattled nerves, but Santiago Carreras’ missed penalty with minutes remaining sealed the Pumas’ fate.
For South Africa, it was history—back-to-back titles, something they’d never achieved before. Both they and the All Blacks ended on 19 points, but a staggering +57 points difference handed the crown to the men in green.
Twickenham roared, and the champions stood tall.
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| ASIA SPORTS CHANNEL |
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