BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — South Africa scraped past Argentina 17-10 in test rugby at the possible expense of inspirational captain Siya Kolisi on Saturday.
Kolisi, in his first match in seven weeks following a hamstring injury, trudged off in the 25th minute. He may be a doubt to lead the Springboks back home against New Zealand in two weeks in the opening test of the blockbuster Greatest Rivalry series.
“I hurt my hamstring again unfortunately,” he said. “It’s tough but I can’t be sad about it. There’s nothing I can do but go in for a scan and see how long I’m out for.”
The skipper was among a core group of Springbok stalwarts given match time in Buenos Aires after missing the Nations Championship in July because of injuries. Caps record-holder Eben Etzebeth and flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu played every minute and lock Lood de Jager, coming back from a hip injury, lasted until the third quarter.
They got to celebrate a 12th straight test win, but only just.
The depleted Pumas almost snatched a draw after the fulltime hooter. From a tap penalty in front of the Springbok posts, they pounded the visitors for 15 phases until the final high pass to an unmarked Matías Moroni was dropped. Coach Felipe Contepomi pounded the coaches’ booth and Moroni was in tears.
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus expected the grind. For the tune-up for the All Blacks, he made 13 changes from the side which beat Wales 43-0. He picked players recovered from injuries, guys who had limited time during the Nations Championship, or players on the fringes of the squad.
They prevailed against a surprisingly tough Pumas outfit who, because the game was outside the international window, couldn’t summon Europe-based stars such as captain Julián Montoya, Marcos Kremer, Joaquín Oviedo and Justo Piccardo. They debuted four players.
The difference was in the second when the more experienced Springboks bench made it count and scored the winning try from a scrum.
Santiago Carreras, from 45 meters, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu traded early penalty kicks. Then from lineout ball, prop Boris Wenger stood in a gang tackle and offloaded for flanker Benjamín Grondona to burst clear to the tryline.
As good as the Pumas were, the spent the remaining half-hour to halftime in their own territory. They were solid in the set-piece and kicked cleverly, winning the aerial contestables but lacking a decisive last pass.
The Boks were also diligent but crashing into a good Pumas defense. After a long sustained attack, Springbok frustration was manifested by Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who resorted to a drop goal attempt that hit the crossbar.
The Boks didn’t really threaten the tryline until the brink of halftime when a couple of offloads by the centers and fullback Aphelele Fassi joining the line allowed right winger Edwill van der Merwe to skirt the defense and score.
Erasmus emptied his bench in the third quarter and the fresh power began to show in the one-sided scrums. The pressure finally told when Canan Moodie stood up Pumas fullback Gerónimo Prisciantelli and forced a five-meter scrum.
The Springboks popped the tighthead side, splintered the Pumas scrum and No. 8 Cameron Hanekom cruised over the tryline.
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