Cobus Reinach: SA Rugby
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber deflected all credit onto the players for the Springboks’ 32-12 Castle Lager Rugby Championship victory over Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The starting XV showed 10 changes to the team that had concluded a 2-1 series victory over the British & Irish Lions seven days before but still overcame a Los Pumas team highly-rated by Nienaber.
“The work the players put in was awesome,” he said. “We had a couple of beers on Saturday after the Lions Series win but we knew we were going straight into the Rugby Championship, and on Monday when I started the first session, I could see the guys were really fired up and ready to go.
“We knew that playing five tests in a row was a big ask and we made a couple of changes, but you could see the freshness of the players who had come in.”
South Africa scored three tries to nil to complete a bonus point win before the second meeting between the teams at the same venue next Saturday.
The Springboks scored two brilliant early first half tries through Cobus Reinach and Aphelele Fassi and debutant Jaden Hendrikse scored the third in the corner in the 78th minute for a fairy tale start to his International career.
Flyhalf Elton Jantjies landed six out of seven kicks at goal with one conversion and five penalties.
The win puts South Africa second to New Zealand on the first round log on points difference - the Boks 20-point advantage over Argentina edged by New Zealand’s 35-point difference from their 57-22 win over Australia earlier in the day.
Nienaber said the coaching staff would consider the medical feedback before considering the line-up for the second test.
“There’s a lot of thigs we have to take into consideration, but player welfare will be a big factor,” he said.
SA Rugby
