Yes, it looks like something is really starting to happen for Coetzee’s Springboks

SOUTH Africa did not have it all their own way like they did against France in the June Test series and they showed great resilience to overcome Argentina and maintain their unbeaten start of 2017.

Desperate to put a disastrous 2016 behind them, the Springboks put smiles back on fans’ faces with their 3-0 whitewash over Les Bleus – but given how poor the French were it offered little insight into how far the Springboks had come in 2017.

Receiving the Pumas in Port Elizabeth for the opener to the Rugby Championship was always going to be a bigger test and so it proved.

The hosts led only 13-5 at half-time and needed a late effort from wing Courtnall Skosan to push them in front at the buzzer, but three second half efforts from Raymond Rhule, Siya Kolisi,

right, and Pieter-Steph du Toit ensured a bonus-point victory.

“I am very pleased with the win, although it was not a perfect performance,” said Springboks head coach Allister Coetzee. “Our scrums were outstanding, our mauling has improved and once again the bench made a telling difference.

“But we need to improve in a number of areas, such as tactical kicking and our lineouts. The message at half-time was to stay patient and keep on doing what we were doing. We also needed to play in behind them, they were leaving gaps at the back and we exploited that.”

A 12th-minute penalty from Elton Jantjies opened

the scoring for the Boks and another at the end of the first quarter made it 6-0 for the hosts.

Nicholas Sanchez failed to reduce the deficit sending a penalty attempt wide but Argentina then scored the try of the game.

From a counter-attack that started deep in their own half, Joaquin Tuculet spun out of contact and made a blistering break before passing to winger Emiliano Boffelli, who put in a lovely grubber kick which Martin Landajo latched onto to dive over in the corner.

However the Springboks had the final say of the half when Skosan broke through a tackle to race over.

Sanchez and Jantjies traded penalties early in the second half before Rhule was put into space and crashed over.

When Boffelli crossed in the corner to make it an eight-point game on the hour mark it looked as though the visitors were clawing their way back, but a series of penalties for the Boks were kicked to the corner, and they were rewarded with Kolisi crossing after he took a pass from Jan Serfonte and put his side 30-15 ahead with 13 minutes remaining.

Du Toit settled matters by muscling over to hand the Boks a comfortable win in their first outing of the Rugby Championship.