Best Boks vs Argentina: Hanekom Off The Hook

Cameron Hanekom was a harbinger of pain against Los Pumas, the outstanding No. 8 playing a starring role as the Springboks eked out a 17-10 win in Buenos Aires on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

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With several players returning from injury – including captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who featured in their first Test this season, South Africa were a step off the pace and trailed 10-3 after 11 minutes.

Whereas Los Pumas were energetic, accurate and physical, the Boks were devoid of rhythm, made a number of elementary handling errors, got little to no reward at scrum time and misfired in the lineouts.

It also didn’t help that Kolisi limped off in the 25th minute. The visitors did manage to defend their line in the second quarter and salvaged a frustrating first half with a try by Edwill van der Merwe in the dying moments of the frame to go into half-time all square.

The arrival of the Bomb Squad 10 minutes into the second half gave the Boks much-needed impetus and eventually led to a maiden try for Johan Grobbelaar, only for it to be chalked off due to Marco van Staden having had a limb in touch.

The only points of the second stanza and match-winning try came courtesy of Hanekom in the 62nd minute, with the Boks defending 15 phases of Argentinian attack before Matias Moroni knocked on near the try line in the final play of the game.  

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

Cameron Hanekom

One of Hanekom’s best attributes is his explosiveness, and it popped off the screen even more than usual with many of his teammates looking lethargic.

The 24-year-old was supercharged, getting stuck into the Argentinians and shining in every aspect of play. Bar two instances of overzealousness, a high tackle that saw the hosts draw first blood and a penalty for taking the man out in the air at the start of the second half, he was a vessel of controlled aggression at Estadio Jose Amalfitani.

Fuelled by the abrasive attitude one needs to fight fire with fire against Los Pumas on their home turf, Hanekom produced an excellent all-round performance that earned him the Man of the Match honours.

On attack, he was one of the Boks’ most prolific ball carriers with 13 surges, one of which saw him sit down Los Pumas captain Pablo Matera and another saw him score the decisive try, his first for the Boks.

Equally influential in defence, he was intense and physical, with great line speed. The most memorable of his 11 tackles was a smash hit on Geronimo Prisciantelli that forced a turnover, and speaking of turnovers, he was tremendous on the floor and delivered a textbook jackal in the 29th minute.

Throw in his work in the lineouts, and it was everything the rising star could’ve hoped for and more to impress Rassie Erasmus ahead of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.

Zachary Porthen

The Bomb Squad were a big reason why the Boks were able to pull the match out of the fire, and the youngest member of the cavalry was the most impressive.

In a freakish 30-minute cameo, the former Junior Bok captain showed why he’s the future and why Erasmus already prefers him over a more seasoned campaigner like his teammate at the Stormers, Neethling Fouche.

Fouche is world-class, but Porthen is a prodigious powerhouse and a super athlete. Fellow front-row impact players Gerhard Steenekamp and Jan-Hendrik Wessels also deserve credit, but it was the 22-year-old who spearheaded the scrum dominance they’d lacked in the first half and what proved decisive in the end.

In addition to powering Hanekom to a pushover try, he won two penalties in the set piece, in the 66th and 70th minutes respectively. He also showed the athleticism that makes him a new breed of tighthead when he stepped a defender like a centre. He’s a special, special talent.   

Andre Esterhuizen

It wasn’t the typical dominant display from Andre The Giant. He didn’t run over defenders at will, spilled the pill on a couple of occasions, and was held up over the tryline when he perhaps should’ve rather set up another phase.

However, there’s also no denying the significant impact he had. It was his audacious offload that beat two defenders and sparked the Boks’ opening try, a highlight reel moment but not his only telling contribution.

The midfield monster put his body on the line, finishing with 11 carries and 13 tackles, which included a match-high four dominant hits, before he went off for an HIA in the 65th minute.