Argentina edges South Africa 29-28 to take Rugby Championship to the wire

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South Africa players line up prior to a rugby championship test match against Argentina at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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South Africa’s Jesse Kriel runs with the ball during a rugby championship test match against Argentina at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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South Africa’s Thomas Du Toit is tackled by Argentina’s Los Pumas Joaquin Oviedo, below, and Marcos Kremer, left, during a rugby championship test match at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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South Africa’s Lukhanyo Am, center, is tackled by Argentina’s Los Pumas Santiago Chocobares during a rugby championship test match at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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South Africa’s Ruan Nortje catches a ball during a rugby championship test match against Argentina at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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Argentina’s Los Pumas Gonzalo Bertranou passes the ball during a rugby championship test match against South Africa at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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South Africa’s Cobus Reinach scores a try against Argentina during a rugby championship test match at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

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Argentina’s Los Pumas Tomas Albornoz runs with the ball during a rugby championship test match against South Africa at Unico Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mateo Occhi)

SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO, Argentina (AP) — Argentina kept its hopes of winning the Rugby Championship alive when it edged world champion South Africa 29-28 on Saturday to temporarily deny the Springboks their first title since 2019.

The tournament now will be decided in the return match between the teams in Nelspruit, South Africa next weekend. South Africa will go into the match atop the table with 19 points with Argentina five points behind, needing maximum points to claim the Championship for the first time.

The Springboks had a chance to seal their first title since 2019 when replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok attempted a penalty in the 79th minute. But Libbok sent the ball wide of the posts and Argentina held on to claim a famous victory.

“We knew it was going to be a tough match against the back-to-back world champions,” Argentina captain Julian Montoya said. “I wasn’t worried about the mistakes.

“I was worried when we were 17-0 down but I told the team we have a plan and we are going to execute it. We trusted each other. We win together and we lose together and I’m super proud of the team.”

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In an extraordinary, see-sawing match played in temperaturs of 35 degrees at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, South Africa raced out to a 17-point lead after only 12 minutes with tries to fullback Aphelele Fassi and center Jesse Kriel and a penalty to flyhalf Handre Pollard.

With his second conversion Pollard passed Morne Steyn to move into second place on the Springboks’ all-time scoring list.

Left-winger Mateo Carreras sparked the Pumas comeback, scoring a try in the 15th minute and creating another for Pablo Matera in the 22nd minute.

Matera’s try and another to prop Joel Sclavi came when the Springboks were down to 14 men with Kurt-Lee Arendse in the sin-bin for a high tackle on Matera.

Sclavi’s try in the 27th minute gave Argentina its first lead and they expanded their advantage to 26-17 with a try to flyhalf Tomas Albornoz from a tapped penalty.

The Springboks then rallied with a try to scrumhalf Cobus Reinach from a quick penalty tap which cut the lead to 26-22 at halftime.

In a tight second half, the Springboks reduced the Pumas’ lead to one point with a penalty to Pollard then went ahead 28-26 with a penalty to Libbok in the 50th minute. But Argentina rallied to regain the lead at 29-28 with an Albornoz penalty in the 68th minute.

They then held out the Springboks’ vaunted “bomb squad” which had been able to guide South Africa to comeback wins over New Zealand in Johannesburg and Cape Town earlier in the Championship.

Eben Etzebeth took the field in the 47th minute to equal fellow lock Victor Matfield’s record of 127 test appearances for South Africa. He will claim the record outright if he plays in the rematch next weekend.

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby