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South Africa had enough in the tank to see of Argentina and claim bronze in the Rugby World Cup thanks to a 24-13 victory at the Olympic Stadium on Friday.
An early try from the wing JP Pietersen put the Springboks into a lead they would not relinquish, and with scrum-half Tomas Cubelli sin-binned early for a cynical penalty, fly-half Handre Pollard kept the scoreboard ticking with three further penalties.
In fact, Argentina did not get on the score board until after half-time when Nicolas Sanchez landed a low drop-goal, but immediately South Africa responded with Eben Etzebeth going over in the left corner, although Bryan Habana’s try-giving pass looked suspiciously forward.
Habana was having a nightmare though. He missed three chances to score in the first half and the stadium was left stunned when he was replaced by Jan Serfontein with well over 10 minutes remaining, ending any chance of him beating Jonah Lomu’s World Cup try scoring record of 15.
Argentina did get over the try line at least as replacement prop Juan Pablo Orlandi barged his way over.
So how did the players perform? Click on the gallery below to find out.
Show all 30 1 /30South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings <b>South Africa:</b> 15. Willie le Roux - 7 out of 10 He kicked well from hand to pin Argentina back on the counter and fed Pietersen with a precise pass for the first try.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 14. JP PIetersen - 7 out of 10 Took his score exceptionally well as he beat Agulla on the outside before staying in bounds to touch down in the corner. Quiet thereafter, as he stayed out on his wing too often.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 13. Jesse Kriel - 7 out of 10 Ran very strongly and always managed to cross the gainline. Faced a few problems in Moroni’s running but on the whole did well.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 12. Damian de Allende - 6 out of 10 Showed a liking to cutting back on the inside that wasted space out wide. Tackled very strongly though.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 11. Bryan Habana - 5 out of 10 Not the way he will have wanted to bow out of the World Cup. Spurned three chances in the first half as he couldn’t touch the ball down before Amorosino, dropped a ball onto his own head and took down Cordero in a race for the ball, and strangely replaced in the second half to end any hopes of breaking Jonah Lomu’s World Cup try-scoring record.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 10. Handre Pollard - 7 out of 10 Was kicking very well until he hit the upright from a simple position. Followed up the error by missing touch immediately after, but a beautiful break in the first-half to set up Habana was great to watch.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 9. Ruan Pienaar - 6 out of 10 Impressive box-kicking to pin Argentina’s talented back-three kept South Africa going forward and he was a constant thorn in the side of his opposite number Cubelli.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 1. Tendai Mtawarira - 5 out of 10 Had a strong start to the game with two early carries and a solid scrum, but forced off at the break with Trevor Nyakane on in his place.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 2. Bismarck du Plessis - 6 out of 10 A good shift but his coaches will have wanted to see more carrying from the powerful hooker. Unflappable in the lineout though.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 3. Frans Malherbe - 6 out of 10 Another good shift from the tightside as he asserted himself on Puma pack.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 4. Eben Etzebeth - 8 out of 10 Really strong running gave the South Africans inroads in the Puma defence. He was on hand out wide to score the second try despite a dubious pass from Habana.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 5. Victor Matfield - 8 out of 10 Rolled back the years with a neat break in the second half that saw him sprint for the try line. Dominant in the air and the ovation for him as he went off shows how well he is loved by the Springbok faithful.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 6. Francois Louw - 8 out of 10 Brilliant at the breakdown as he repeatedly disrupted or turned the ball over. Caught offside twice in quick succession after the break, although that didn’t take away from his performance on the floor. Needed more treatment on the head injury he suffered last week.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 7. Schalk Burger - 6 out of 10 Off he went into international retirement – we think – as he waved goodbye to the crowd, only to come back on for a blood replacement. Took a big hit from Montoya early on, but he wouldn’t want his leaving present any different.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 8. Duane Vermeulen - 6 out of 10 A bit quiet on all fronts as he didn’t carry as much as we’ve grown used to. Strong in defence though.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings <b>Argentina:</b> 15. Lucas Amorosino - 7 out of 10 Helped his side out when Habana looked through for a try as he beat the flyer to touch the ball down first. Tried to come into the line where available but chances were limited.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 14. Santiago Cordero - 7 out of 10 Brilliant break in the first half saw him dart all of 30 metres only to lose the ball. He continued to probe without success, but has been one of the attacking players of the tournament.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 13. Matias Moroni - 8 out of 10 Argentina’s best player on the night by a long way. He always looked a threat when he got the ball and his ability to change direction immediately saw him break through the line.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 12. Jeronimo de la Fuente - 5 out of 10 Few chances with the ball although he did create those for Moroni to attack with. Left early in the second half though as he was replaced by Juan Pablo Socino.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 11. Horacio Agulla - 5 out of 10 Rounded far too easily by JP Pietersen for the try but he improved afterwards and had a break of his own that needed covering.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 10. Nicolas Sanchez - 7 out of 10 Looked like a man with all the talent to lead a fightback but few options to work with as a number of his go-to men were missing from the match. Kicked faultlessly though and has enjoyed a phenomenally successful tournament.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 9. Tomas Cubelli - 6 out of 10 Got his chance to shine but disappointed a little. He was not fast enough from the breakdown which saw him caught on occasion.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 1. Juan Figallo - 6 out of 10 Replaced more times he’s had hot dinners as he struggled to stem a blood injury. Stood firm against Malherbe and later Jannie du Plessis.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 2. Julian Montoya - 6 out of 10 Had the mammoth task of replacing the skipper Augustin Creevy and didn’t do himself any harm. Defended well and strong throwing in the lineout.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 3. Ramiro Herrera - 5 out of 10 Struggled to cope with the pressure in the scrum in the second half although stood firm in the first.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 4. Matis Alemanno - 5 out of 10 Disappointed on his chance in the first team as he failed to have an impact with the ball in hand. Did well in the lineout, but needed to up his work rate.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 5. Tomas Lavanini - 6 out of 10 His most defining moment came when he and Etzebeth got to know each other a little more with a lengthy spat that saw the Puma walk backwards into the advertising hoarding. Played well though and was a prominent figure in gaining the hard yards around the ruck.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 6. Javier Ortega Desio - 6 out of 10 Not as athletic as the man he replaced, Pablo Matera, and that saw Argentina come off second best in the breakdown as they were simply too slow to reach it.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 7. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe - 7 out of 10 Tried his heart out all tournament but by the end looked a man ready for international retirement. Standing ovation was a fitting tribute for an Argentinean rugby great.
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South Africa 24 Argentina 13 player ratings 8. Juan Manuel Leguizamon - 6 out of 10 Ran hard and made good yardage but spurned a chance in the first-half when he had Cordero outside him in space.
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