Rugby Championship: Round 5 - All Blacks defeat Wallabies to retain Bledisloe Cup at Eden Park

South Africa and New Zealand have pulled ahead in the Rugby Championship table, ahead of this weekend's all important final round. The Springboks now sit atop the table, with one point to the good of the All Blacks who chase in second place.

Next week, the Springboks and Pumas head to London, to end their respective Rugby Championship campaigns at the Allianz Stadium. New Zealand then head to Perth, with the All Blacks and Wallabies closing out the tournament in their Bledisloe Cup clash.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu produced a once-in-a-lifetime performance in Durban, scoring a record 37 points as South Africa thumped Argentina 67–30 to climb to the top of the Rugby Championship standings. The fly-half’s haul included a hat-trick of tries, eight conversions, and two penalties, eclipsing Percy Montgomery’s long-standing record of 35 points in a Springbok jersey.

It was a wild first half as Argentina went toe-to-toe with the world champions, Santiago Chocobares pounced on a mistake to open the Pumas account, before a penalty try gave the visitors a 23–18 edge late in the half. Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s brilliance turned the tide either side of the break, his two quick tries restored the Springboks’ lead before Cheslin Kolbe and Pieter-Steph du Toit struck decisive blows.

Argentina briefly rallied through Tomás Albornoz’s solo effort, but South Africa finished in devastating fashion. Morné van den Berg, Du Toit (twice), and Manie Libbok all crossed in the final quarter, with Feinberg-Mngomezulu converting Du Toit’s second score at the death to seal his place in the record books. For Argentina, it was a punishing reminder of South Africa’s depth and power, while the Springboks will take immense confidence into their London clash next week, in pursuit of retaining the Rugby Championship title.

Tries: 9 (Malcolm Marx, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), Cheslin Kolbe, Morne van den Berg, Pieter-Steph du Toit (2), Manie Libbok)

Cons: 8 Feinberg-Mngomezulu (8)

Pens: 2 Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2)

Argentina 30 (23) – Tries: Santiago Chocobares, Penalty Try, Tomás Albornoz. Cons: Santiago Carreras (2). Pens: Carreras (3).

A week after their record defeat to South Africa, the All Blacks bounced back with a gritty 33–24 win over Australia at Eden Park, retaining the Bledisloe Cup and extending their unbeaten run at the ground to 52 matches. Halfback Cam Roigard was the star of the show, scoring twice and steering his side through a tense contest that marked 100 years since the first international between New Zealand and an Australian team at the venue.

New Zealand flew out of the blocks, wing Caleb Clarke finished a flowing move in the fourth minute before fellow outside back Leroy Carter and Roigard added further tries to establish a 20–3 lead. Yet the Wallabies fought back, Billy Pollard drove over from close range and Harry Potter crossed just before the break to reduce the deficit to 20–17 at halftime.

Damian McKenzie’s boot kept the scoreboard ticking after the restart, but when Carlo Tizzano finished a well-worked move for the Wallabies, the game hung in the balance. With Eden Park tense, Roigard struck again, latching onto a clever Jordie Barrett pass to clinch his second try and secure victory.

Errors at the breakdown and mounting penalties threatened to derail the All Blacks, but their resilience in the final quarter proved decisive. For Australia, the loss was another tale of what might have been in an arduous 23-year wait for the Bledisloe Cup, as a losing bonus point was denied despite a spirited effort.

Tries: 4 (Caleb Clarke, Leroy Carter, Cam Roigard 2)

Cons: 2 (Beauden Barrett, Damian McKenzie)

Pens: 3 (Barrett, McKenzie 2)

Tries: 3 (Billy Pollard, Harry Potter, Carlo Tizzano)

Cons: 3 (James O’Connor 3)

Pen: 1 (James O’Connor)