Feinberg-Mngomezulu masterclass helps Boks take hold of Rugby Championship

South Africa climbed to the top of the Rugby Championship table with a thumping 67-30 victory over Argentina in Durban on Saturday, inspired by a record-breaking performance from fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The 23-year-old scored 37 points, eclipsing Percy Montgomery’s record of 35 points scored against Namibia in 2007, with a hat-trick and 10 out of 11 kicks from the tee in a stunning individual display.

In what was a frantic first half, Feinberg-Mngomezulu struck first with a long-range penalty, but Santiago Carreras edged the Pumas in front with two of his own. Malcolm Marx scored the first try of the contest after 30 minutes following a driving maul, only for the game to descend into chaos moments later when Santiago Chocobares was awarded one of the strangest tries seen at Kings Park. Cheslin Kolbe grounded the ball in his own in-goal before trying to restart (or pass?), only for the ball to barely cross the line and be dotted down by the Pumas centre.

South Africa’s playmaker quickly responded chasing down his own kick into a huge swathe of space in the Pumas’ 22, but Argentina were awarded a penalty try on half-time when Marx collapsed a maul, with the hooker also being yellow. Despite being down a man, the fly-half had the final word of the half though, slicing through the defence for his second try to give South Africa a 25-23 lead at the interval.

Rugby Championship

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

South Africa

5

3

2

0

15

2

New Zealand

5

3

2

0

14

3

Australia

5

2

3

0

11

4

Argentina

5

2

3

0

9

The second half was one-way traffic, however, which began with a pinpoint cross-kick from Feinberg-Mngomezulu to Kolbe within minutes of the restart, before the youngster completed his hat-trick with a dummy that fooled every defender within about a 10 metre radius.

Argentina briefly hit back through Tomás Albornoz after a break from Juan Cruz Mallía, but the Boks’ bench swung the game out of reach. Replacement scrum-half Morné van den Berg darted over, Pieter-Steph du Toit added two tries, and Manie Libbok crossed late on as the Pumas tired.

By the final whistle, South Africa had racked up ten tries, their dominance in the final quarter overwhelming an Argentina side that had fought hard in the first 40.

The bonus-point win takes the Boks to 15 points on the table, one ahead of New Zealand, who face Australia in Perth next week. The two sides will meet again in London next week, where Rassie Erasmus’ men can seal the title.