Last-play heartbreak as the Pumas lose 17-10 to South Africa

Argentina’s men’s rugby union national team, the Pumas, fell 17-10 against South Africa’s Springboks on Saturday. It was a heartbreaking ending for the local team, who missed out on a last-minute chance to tie the game. Coached by Felipe Contepomi, the Pumas hosted South Africa at a packed José Amalfitani Stadium, with plenty of star figures and lots of children in the stands.

Despite chilly winds, the clear skies made for a great day out to watch rugby. Argentina came out of the gates swinging. Just two minutes in, Santiago Carreras gave the Pumas a 3-0 advantage with a long-range penalty kick.

South Africa tied it three minutes later with a penalty kick of their own, scored by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The Pumas then scored the first try of the game just 9 minutes in, working off the offense until Benjamín Grondona was able to spot a gap to split South Africa’s defense. Carreras stepped in for the conversion kick to put the score 10-3.

It proved a hard-fought, frictional game, with South Africa looking to ruffle Argentina’s feathers but failing to find a gap to exploit despite coming in very close. In the stands, the fans put the heat on with chants encouraging the Pumas and even the classic “el que no salta es un inglés” (Jump unless you’re English).” The first half seemed under control for Argentina until the 39th minute when Canan Moodie pulled a magic trick with the ball in his hands, fooled the Pumas defense, and gave Edwill Van der Merwe free reign to score a try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored the conversion kick to tie the game as the final whistle went.

The second half was a much tougher affair for Argentina, who struggled to get the ball and seemed to never get it to bounce their way. In the 62nd minute, the Springboks took the lead through a scrum, which ended with Cameron Hanekom scoring the try and Handre Pollard hitting the conversion kick for 17-10. As the game drew to a close, the Pumas looked physically shot and made more and more mistakes.

A last-ditch kick put them in position to score and potentially tie the game, but Matías Moroni was unable to grab the ball when he had a clear path to score, bringing the game to a close. The Pumas will look to bounce back in their next match against Australia on Aug. La entrada Last-play heartbreak as the Pumas lose 17-10 to South Africa se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald.