Springboks too strong for Pumas
THERE was no fairy tale debut for Argentina in the Rugby Championship Saturday as they fell 27-6 to more creative South Africa at Newlands.
An often scrappy game was won and lost in the first 20 minutes of the second half when the Pumas missed three penalty kicks after trailing 20-6 at half-time before right wing Bryan Habana snatched an opportunist try.
"We played well in patches but there is a lot of work ahead and we need to be hard on ourselves when analysing this match," South Africa captain and outside centre Jean de Villiers said.
"There was a lot to play for today after the terrible scenes at Lonmin mine two days ago. We have a huge job to perform for our country - we have to offer people hope."
Clashes between armed police and miners striking for higher salaries in the North West province Thursday led to 34 deaths, dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests.
Read the full match report at ABC news online.
