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South Africa emerged from Buenos Aires arsenic New Zealand's main rival for the Rugby Championship aft Argentina was beaten 36-20 connected Sunday (AEST).
All 4 teams could inactive triumph the astir fiercely competitory title successful the past circular adjacent play and, successful the improbable lawsuit of the All Blacks losing to Australia astatine their Eden Park fortress for the archetypal clip successful 36 years, the Springboks are successful premier presumption to instrumentality advantage.
They and the All Blacks are connected 14 points - the All Blacks person a vastly superior points differential - Australia has 10 points, and Argentina nine.
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The Springboks adjacent the tourney against the Pumas backmost location successful Durban and by past volition cognize what they person to bash to triumph their 2nd rubric successful the Rugby Championship era.
They acceptable up their accidental with a archetypal fractional show of relentless guardant mightiness that made the Pumas suffer their heads, past weathered a Pumas comeback, and finished brilliantly with 2 tries successful the past 5 minutes to recapture the bonus point.
Before kick-off, SA Rugby released an bonzer connection regarding allegations of cause usage among players.
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"SA Rugby is alert that unsubstantiated allegations of failed tests for recreational drugs by Springbok players are circulating among members of the media," the connection read.
"Disappointingly, these allegations person already appeared online contempt the lack of immoderate grounds to enactment them. SA Rugby has consistently advised each inquiring media that nary specified reports person been received by SA Rugby oregon immoderate subordinate from the lone authorization permitted to execute specified tests, the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport. SA Rugby does not behaviour its ain tests.
"Despite the lack of immoderate specified reports, players and absorption successful Argentina person been contacted to "tell their story", distracting and destabilising the full campy successful the build-up (to) today's Test against Argentina successful Buenos Aires.
"SA Rugby wishes to repetition that it has nary grounds of immoderate adverse analytical findings for immoderate benignant of cause – beryllium it show enhancing oregon recreational – by Springbok players and regards the work oregon the menace to people specified allegations arsenic a deliberate effort to sabotage the team's preparations."
The Springboks shrugged disconnected those distractions to score 3 tries to nary successful a archetypal fractional that was perpetually stopped, peculiarly for offsides.
The archetypal effort was a punishment try, to nary surprise.
Sean Maloney and Andrew Mehrtens are joined by Morgan Turinui and Bernard Foley to sermon the highly arguable Bledisloe Cup clash from Melbourne
South Africa attacked the abbreviated broadside disconnected a lineout maul, Pumas flyhalf Santiago Carreras appeared to halt it, but past came from offside to clasp up Springboks scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse implicit the line.
Carreras conceded the punishment effort and was sinbinned.
While helium was away, the Springboks crossed doubly more.
After the Boks went for 3 consecutive attacking lineouts alternatively of punishment kicks, Hendrikse wasn't considered a menace by the Pumas and allowed to stroll to the tryline.
Then the Springboks produced a textbook lineout maul that carried hooker Malcolm Marx implicit the enactment for a 22-6 pb aft 32 minutes.
Argentina was playing with scraps, and wasting what small they had.
Warned repeatedly by New Zealand referee James Doleman, who penalised the Pumas 12 times successful the half, the location broadside mislaid a 2nd subordinate to the sinbin, scrumhalf Gonzalo Bertranou, and astir conceded different effort connected halftime.
But Lood de Jager's people was rubbed retired by a sound on.
Down by 16, Michael Cheika's Pumas threw caution to the upwind successful the 2nd fractional with offloads galore, and yet roused their frustrated fans successful their past location lucifer of the year.
With the vigor turned backmost connected a somewhat complacent South Africa, fullback Willie le Roux was sinbinned.
The Pumas received different fillip erstwhile erstwhile skipper Agustin Creevy came connected and became Argentina's astir capped subordinate successful his 95th Test.
With the antheral advantage, Argentina earned a punishment try, and with a 2 antheral vantage scored different effort to adjacent the spread to 22-20 with 10 minutes to go.
The Pumas punishment effort came erstwhile replacement scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli was held up but twisted astir the cervix and prevented from reaching retired for the enactment by Kwagga Smith, who was sinbinned.
Then different replacement back, Matias Moroni, took an wrong walk from flanker Marcos Kremer to interruption clear, gaffe Canan Moodie and transportation the different Boks wing, Makazole Mapimpi, betwixt the posts.
But the razzle dazzle effort to flooded the 16 constituent shortage exhausted the Pumas, and the Springboks finished strong.
They worked the phases to get centre Damian de Allende implicit successful the 75th, and worked an overlap for Mapimpi, whose wrong walk to Marx was juggled but secured.
His 2nd effort restored the bonus constituent the Springboks dearly wanted with a triumph to acceptable up an intriguing past round.
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