South Africa Triumph In 2024 Rugby Championship With Dominant Win Over Argentina.
South Africa secured a commanding 48-7 victory over Argentina in Nelspruit to win the 2024 Rugby Championship, their first title since 2019. The Springboks produced a relentless performance, scoring four first-half tries and dominating the game throughout.
Aphelele Fassi was instrumental in the victory, scoring two tries and providing an assist for Cheslin Kolbe. Pieter-Steph du Toit, named player of the match, also crossed the line twice, adding to his side’s attacking prowess. Argentina’s sole response came from fly-half Tomas Albornoz, who converted his own try.
The second half saw a pivotal moment when Pumas replacement Pablo Matera had a yellow card upgraded to a 20-minute red for head contact while clearing out Vincent Koch. With Santiago Carreras also sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, the Springboks capitalised. Malcolm Marx powered over from a maul, and Du Toit completed his brace before Jesse Kriel sealed the win with a try from Handre Pollard’s chip.
South Africa’s victory avenged their narrow one-point loss to Argentina the previous weekend, a result that had delayed their title win. Captain Siya Kolisi praised his team’s resilience, saying, “After last week, the way we stood up says a lot about our team.”
The triumph marks the Springboks’ first Rugby Championship title in a full tournament since 2009, adding to head coach Rassie Erasmus’ impressive resume, which now includes two World Cup wins, two Rugby Championships, and a British and Irish Lions series victory.
Despite Argentina’s defeat, the Pumas made history by beating all three other teams in the tournament for the first time. They finished third, while New Zealand claimed second place after defeating Australia earlier in the day.
