Sublime Sacha sets South African Test record against Argentina to bolster Boks’ title bid

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu sparked an incredible fightback from the Boks in a crucial Rugby Championship clash against the Pumas at Kings Park on Saturday.

The game was in the balance for much of the first half, but thanks to the audacity and vision of the young No 10 and several others, the Boks found their attacking mojo in the latter stages, to finish with nine tries as well as a valuable bonus point.

Argentina took the fight to the Boks from the outset, disrupting the attacking rhythm that earned South Africa (SA) a magnificent 43-10 win against the All Blacks only two weeks ago.

Thanks to the street smarts of the Pumas pack, as well as the cool goalkicking of flyhalf Santiago Carreras, the visitors were in charge for most of the first stanza.

The hosts leaked penalties during this period, while Cheslin Kolbe’s bizarre decision to kick a goal-line drop-out directly to Pumas centre Santiago Chocobares resulted in a try for the opposition.

The situation was compounded on the stroke of halftime, when Malcolm Marx impeded at a maul and conceded a penalty try, as well as a yellow card.

In spite of those collective misfires and individual brain explosions, the Boks managed to hit back in the dying moments to take an unlikely 25-23 lead into the break.

Read more: The Boks’ attacking volcano eventually blew its top in Wellington and the All Blacks suffered

Feinberg-Mngomezulu proved the catalyst for the hosts, after he chased a well-directed kick into the Pumas 22, scooped up the rolling ball and scored.

From there, big ball-carriers like Pieter-Steph du Toit started to find space on the edges, and it wasn’t long before the hosts set up another 22m entry.

And yet, it took another piece of brilliance by Feinberg-Mngomezulu to unlock the Pumas defence. The flyhalf darted between defenders, before slamming the ball over the tryline.

Sacha… and Kolbe

The “Sacha Show” continued after the break, when he nailed a pinpoint crosskick to the right wing. Kolbe atoned for his earlier mistake when he collected the ball and raced clear.

Yet another successful Feinberg-Mngomezulu goalkick steered the hosts into a nine-point lead. Suddenly all the momentum was with the hosts.

The Bok scrum started to dominate, and the ball-carriers began to rack up the significant metres beyond the gainline.

Another venture into the Pumas 22 in the 51st minute proved fruitful, as Feinberg-Mngomezulu spun away from several defenders to find the tryline for the third time.

Incidentally, it was Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s second hat-trick of the calendar year, following his three-try effort for the Stormers against Connacht in a United Rugby Championship fixture staged in April.

Read more: Six-try Springboks destroy All Blacks by record margin in Wellington

Argentina hit back through replacement Tomás Albornoz, but the Boks kept their foot on the pedal.

Further tries by Morné van den Berg and Pieter-Steph du Toit boosted the hosts’ chances of finishing the game with three tries more than the opposition – and ultimately the bonus point.

Their goal was realised after Manie Libbok chased down his own kick and scored in the dying moments.

Equalling Percy’s record

Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted the try to boost his personal tally to 35 points – equalling the Bok record held by Percy Montgomery for the most points in a single Test.

But there was more to come.

On the stroke of full-time, Du Toit crossed the line for his second try and gave Feinberg-Mngomezulu the opportunity to own the record outright.

The unflappable youngster made no mistake, capping one of the great all-round performances by a Bok No 10.

Thanks to the result at Kings Park, the Boks have finished the round at the top of the Rugby Championship standings and will go into the final weekend of the tournament as favourites for the title.

SA owes their current position in part to the result of the earlier fixture staged in Auckland on Saturday.

The All Blacks beat the Wallabies 33-24, but neither side managed to come through that contest with a bonus point.

While both Australasian teams are still in the hunt for the Rugby Championship title, the Boks have the advantage ahead of their final clash against Argentina in London on 4 October.

The Wallabies will host the All Blacks in Perth next Saturday. By the time the subsequent clash at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham kicks off, the Boks will know exactly what is required to clinch the title – and to become the first South African team in history to win the Rugby Championship back to back.

Despite a couple of setbacks earlier in the campaign, Rassie Erasmus’ charges are on the brink of yet another monumental achievement.

And to state the obvious yet again, they have found something special in Feinberg-Mngomezulu. DM

Scorers:

South Africa – Tries: Malcolm Marx, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), Cheslin Kolbe, Morné van den Berg, Pieter-Steph du Toit (2), Manie Libbok. Conversions: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (8). Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2).

Argentina – Tries: Santiago Chocobares, Penalty try, Tomás Albornoz. Conversions: Santiago Carreras (2). Penalties: Carreras (3).