Star Metro - Erasmus proud of Boks' title triumph as Rugby Championship faces uncertain future

Saturday's 29-27 success, built on a dominant scrum with hooker Malcolm Marx scoring two tries, in the final match of the southern hemisphere tournament gave South Africa the title on points difference from arch-rivals New Zealand.

The Springboks had previously inflicted a record 43-10 defeat upon the All Blacks in Wellington in September before hammering Argentina 67-30 in Durban last weekend.

And all this after South Africa started one of the most exciting Rugby Championships by squandering a 22-0 lead at home to Australia while the Pumas were a force throughout in a tournament where they beat both the Wallabies and the All Blacks.

But the Springboks, the current double defending world champions after their 2019 and 2023 triumphs, may not get the chance to make it three Rugby Championships in a row.

Next year, New Zealand are set to travel to South Africa for a series billed as the "Greatest Rivalry" -- the first traditional tour involving rugby union's historic superpowers for three decades.

Complicating the picture, a new Nations Cup is being launched in 2026, bringing together the northern hemisphere teams that make up the Six Nations, the four sides in the Rugby Championship and most likely Japan and Fiji.

The revamped schedule means there is expected to be no official Rugby Championship next year, with doubts over subsequent editions.

"Maybe this is the last Rugby Championship," said Erasmus.

"I'm not 100 percent sure how it will work in the future. So it meant a hell of a lot."

The former South Africa back-row forward, a veteran of the original Tri-Nations, added: "None of us as players have achieved what they (the current team) have achieved as players.

"It was another opportunity for them to achieve something New Zealand has done (win successive Rugby Championship) many times, the great team they are.

"But we've never done it, you know. So, that definitely was a motivational thing for us."

- 'Bloody tough' -

Another sign of change in the international game was staging the finale of a competition featuring South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina at Twickenham, the London headquarters of England's Rugby Football Union.

Saturday's fixture was technically an Argentina 'home' match, but the vast bulk of a crowd of over 70,000 were sporting the Springboks' green and gold, rather than the Pumas' blue and white.

Twickenham, however, is now familiar territory for South Africa, with Saturday's success their fifth straight win at the ground and third in three years in matches not involving England.

They won't be back during next month's Autumn campaign but will play Japan at London's Wembley Stadium on November 1 -- the same day England face Australia at Twickenham.

And with £1 now worth 23 South African rand, the economic lure of drawing another big crowd from the large expatriate community of Springbok fans in London is clear.

Such was the Springboks set-piece dominance, with a last-ditch try by Argentina's Rodrigo Isgro too late to change Saturday's result, they might have won wherever the game took place.

Argentina coach Felipe Contepomi, while pleased by his side's improved showing following the Durban blow-out, praised the Springboks' scrum -- a traditional strength of the Pumas' game.

"It might sound boring to some but they're the best in the world at what they do for a reason," said Contepomi. "And I believe they're the best team in the world right now -- no doubt about it."

But Erasmus accepted the Springboks were "fortunate that we didn't play them in Argentina," a sentiment with which the second-placed All Blacks, beaten 29-23 by the Pumas in Buenos Aires in August, might agree.

"They were bloody tough here," he said. "But there's no doubt that they're tougher in Argentina."

T.Murray--SMC