Pumas Defeat Springboks in Santiago del Estero.

The time had come for the four southern hemisphere nations to continue the rugby championship following a two-week hiatus. Still unbeaten in this year's contest, South Africa took on Argentina's Los Pumas, requiring only three log points to secure the championship.

The Boks started the game on fire, scoring two quick tries inside the first ten minutes to race to a 14 - 0 lead thanks to tries from Aphelele Fassie and Jesse Kriel. 

The image captures Fassi's try, which resulted from an excellent offensive play by the Boks. To clarify, this opportunity arose because all of Argentina's players had moved to the left, leaving only one defender out wide to cover two players. This shift created an opening for Fassi to break through and score the try.

Jesse Kriel's try was a standout moment. Again, the defenders had clustered near the ruck, creating an opening for Kriel to break through and secure South Africa's second try.

The momentum shifted when Kurt-Lee Arendse received a yellow card for a high tackle.

The high tackle from Kurt-Lee Arendse warranted the yellow card, which was a fair decision considering there was a mitigating factor; the attacking player was not at full height during the tackle.

The yellow card proved to be a turning point for Argentina, as they successfully executed two 2-on-1 plays on the outside channels, resulting in two tries.

There were moments in the game where South Africa, particularly concerning Manie Libbok's missed kick, might have opted for the corner or perhaps kept Pollard on the field to attempt the kick. While Libbok's aerial kicks were outstanding and highly contestable, his goal-kicking did not meet the expected standard.

Regarding the missed kick, I would have chosen to go for the corner and establish a driving maul to either draw a penalty or attempt the try, as I believe we had the momentum at that point. Nevertheless, Argentina completely dominated the Boks with their flair and attacking play, and they thoroughly deserved to win this match.

Despite the defeat, the Springboks secured a losing bonus point, bringing them to a total of 19 points. This means Argentina must defeat them by over 40 points in Nelspruit next week and prevent them from earning another losing bonus point to clinch the championship. While this may appear improbable, the Pumas have proven to be highly unpredictable. Their morale is likely boosted by their unprecedented feat of defeating all three teams in a single tournament.

It's time to select the team. Given that Feinberg-Mngomezulu is sidelined due to an injury, this would be my lineup.

15 - 1: Aphelele Fassi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Lukhanyo Am, André Esterhuizen, Cheslin Kolbe, Handré Pollard, Cobus Reinach, ElrighLouw, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c), Ruan Nortje, Eben Etzabeth, Vincent Koch, Malcom Marx, Ox Nche. 

16 - 23: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel. 

Please share your thoughts on this team and how you would modify it. I am confident that this team possesses ample skill and strength to defeat Argentina convincingly.