Rassie heaps praise on Sacha after Springbok No 10's 'incredible performance' against Pumas

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted that some harsh words were exchanged in the Kings Park change room after South Africa gifted Argentina a raft of points before regrouping to storm home 67-30.

“There were a few things we did stupidly that gave them tries,” Erasmus said. “Cheslin Kolbe’s drop goal from the in-goal area to a Pumas player was a brain fart, and then there was the unnecessary yellow card Malcolm Marx gave (for pulling down a scrum).

“At half-time (with the Boks leading 25-23), the game was not dead and buried. And then some individual brilliance made a massive difference...”

The coach was, of course, referring to the astonishing performance of flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who racked up 37 points to seal the win and set a new record for the most points scored by a Springbok in a single Test.

“Everyone will agree that Sacha was brilliant on the day,” Erasmus said. “But a performance like that doesn’t happen overnight. You get a little bit better each time you play. Sacha is on 11 caps, and he has learned along the way. This performance was the result.

“Tonight, Damian de Allende helped him, Cobus Reinach helped him, so did Damian Willemse. Ultimately, Sacha did incredible things, and he will also thank (assistant coach) Tony Brown and (veteran flyhalf) Handré Pollard.”

Captain Siya Kolisi was equally in awe of the flyhalf’s performance.

“Sacha was amazing,” Kolisi said. “It is not just how he scored his points but how he controlled the game.

“When we click as a team, each player shows us who they are, and Sacha showed us who he is, and who he can be.

“The coaches always tell us that they pick us for a reason, and while we each have a point of difference, all of us can contribute to an attacking game.

“When all the guys stepped up, Sacha took charge of the possession. He took leadership. That’s what made the difference for us.”

The Springboks travel to London on Sunday in pole position in the Rugby Championship, knowing that a bonus-point win at Twickenham will shut out whatever second-placed New Zealand can manage in Perth.