South Africa secured consecutive Rugby Championship titles for the first time in their history with a hard-fought victory over Argentina at Twickenham. The Springboks’ scrum dominance proved decisive, but head coach Rassie Erasmus acknowledged his side were fortunate not to be playing in Argentina, where the Pumas are traditionally stronger.
The match, played in front of over 70,000 fans largely backing South Africa, highlighted concerns about the tournament’s future. Erasmus revealed the Rugby Championship may not continue beyond 2027, with a potential move to February to run concurrently with the Six Nations. “Maybe this is the last Rugby Championship,” he said. “I’m not 100% sure how it will work in the future. So it meant a hell of a lot.”
Argentina, who chose Twickenham as their home venue for financial reasons, took an early lead through tries from Bautista Delguy and penalties from Santiago Carreras. However, South Africa’s Malcolm Marx was in destructive form, scoring from a driving lineout and helping the Boks take control. Despite a late try from Rodrigo Isgró, the Pumas could not close the gap, with Carreras missing a crucial penalty late on.
Erasmus admitted his side were lucky not to have Canan Moodie sent off after a high tackle and a deliberate knock-on, both of which went unpunished. “They were bloody tough here, but there’s no doubt that they’re tougher in Argentina,” he said. The win capped an exhilarating tournament for South Africa, who recovered from an early loss to Australia to claim the title with a record victory over New Zealand and a dominant win against Argentina.
