Boks on hot streak against Los Pumas

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The Springboks will be targeting a seventh win in a row over Argentina at Ellis Park to finish the truncated Rugby Championship on a high in their final home game before the World Cup.

The final round of the 2023 Rugby Championship will see South Africa host Argentina in Johannesburg, after the Wallabies look to give Eddie Jones his first win in his second tenure by upsetting the unbeaten All Blacks in Melbourne.

The Springboks are currently in second place on the log and trail the All Blacks by four points. In order to win the Rugby Championship, South Africa need a bonus-point victory over Argentina, while hoping that Australia beat New Zealand and deny the All Blacks any bonus points.

To win with the bonus-point, the Springboks need to score three more tries than Argentina in Saturday evening’s match, which kicks off at 5pm.

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If the Springboks and All Blacks are tied on log points, New Zealand will win the 2023 Rugby Championship on the head-to-head rule due to the 35-20 win in Auckland.

However unlikely the Wallabies beating the All Blacks may be, the good news is that the Springboks are on a hot streak against Argentina, winning their last six matches against Los Pumas, going back to 2019.

South Africa have not lost at home to Argentina since that infamous 25-37 defeat in Durban in 2015, which was Argentina’s first-ever victory over the Springboks.

Johannesburg has been a happy hunting ground for the Springboks against Argentina. The last time the two teams clashed in the Gauteng capital was in 2013, when the Boks scored nine tries for a record 73-13 victory at the FNB Stadium.

The last meeting between these two sides at Ellis Park was in 2008. It was another nine-try humiliation for Argentina, with JP Pietersen and Joe van Niekerk each scoring braces and Butch James enjoying a perfect day with the boot to steer the Boks to a 63-9 win.

In the most recent clash, the Springboks battled to a 38-21 victory at Kings Park last year, in what was Frans Steyn’s final Test match.

Photo: Marcelo Endelli/Getty Images

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