BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The South African Springboks secured a hard-fought 17-10 test rugby victory over Argentina’s Pumas on Saturday, but the win came with a major potential setback: inspirational captain Siya Kolisi was forced off the pitch with a recurring hamstring injury, putting his participation in the upcoming high-stakes series against New Zealand in doubt.
Kolisi’s early exit in the 25th minute marked just his first match action in seven weeks, after he had spent time on the sidelines recovering from a previous hamstring issue. Speaking after the match, the captain acknowledged the disappointing setback, saying, “I hurt my hamstring again unfortunately. 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 injury leaves his availability for the opening test of the blockbuster “Greatest Rivalry” series against the All Blacks, scheduled for two weeks from now on South African soil, uncertain.
The Buenos Aires test was structured as a tune-up fixture for the Springboks ahead of the All Blacks series, and head coach Rassie Erasmus deliberately reshuffled his squad, making 13 changes from the side that swept Wales 43-0 in their last outing. The starting line-up centered on giving match time to star players recovering from long-term injuries, who had missed the July Nations Championship due to their recovery processes. Alongside Kolisi, Springboks cap record holder Eben Etzebeth played the full 80 minutes, rising star flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also went the distance, and lock Lood de Jager, returning from a hip injury, played through the third quarter of the match.
Stripped of their top Europe-based players including captain Julián Montoya, Marcos Kremer and Joaquín Oviedo because the fixture fell outside the official international rugby window, the depleted Pumas fielded four debutant forwards and put on a far more competitive performance than most observers predicted. The underdog side came agonizingly close to snatching a last-gasp draw after the final fulltime hooter had sounded. Awarded a tap penalty just in front of the South African posts, the Pumas built a 15-phase attack that ended with a high pass to an unmarked Matías Moroni, who dropped the ball. A devastated Moroni left the field in tears, while Pumas head coach Felipe Contepomi reacted by slamming his boot in frustration at the missed opportunity.
The opening 20 minutes of the match saw both sides trade penalty goals: Santiago Carreras slotted a long-range effort from 45 meters out for the Pumas, and Feinberg-Mngomezulu responded with one of his own for the Springboks. Argentina broke the deadlock shortly after, when prop Boris Wenger held off multiple defenders to offload a pass to flanker Benjamín Grondona, who broke clear to score the opening try.
For the remaining 30 minutes before halftime, South Africa pinned Argentina deep in their own half. The Pumas held firm, however, with solid set-piece play and intelligent kicking that let them win the battle for aerial territory, though they repeatedly failed to convert pressure into points with a decisive final pass. The Springboks, for their part, struggled to break through Argentina’s well-organized defense, with frustration boiling over when Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s drop goal attempt ricocheted off the crossbar.
South Africa finally broke through to score their first try on the brink of halftime. A sequence of offloads from the Springbok centers, followed by a well-timed line run from fullback Aphelele Fassi, created space for right winger Edwill van der Merwe to round the Pumas defense and touch down, putting South Africa ahead 10-7 at the break.
Erasmus emptied his substitutes bench in the third quarter to inject fresh energy, and the impact of the Springbok reserves quickly showed. The more rested South African pack dominated the scrums, putting consistent pressure on the Pumas. That pressure told in the 63rd minute, when Canan Moodie trapped Pumas fullback Gerónimo Prisciantelli to force a five-meter scrum for South Africa. The Springboks splintered the Pumas scrum on the tighthead side, allowing No. 8 Cameron Hanekom to cross untouched for the match-winning try.
South Africa’s defense held firm through the final minutes to secure the result, extending the team’s winning streak to 12 consecutive test matches. While the result was a positive outcome heading into the All Blacks series, the entire build-up to the blockbuster rivalry clash will now be overshadowed by the uncertainty over Kolisi’s fitness as the team waits for scan results to confirm the severity of his hamstring injury.