RUGBY WRAP: Rugby Championship set for thrilling finish

Boks break Oz hoodoo

The Springboks bounced back from their defeat in Adelaide to claim a comprehensive 24-8 win over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday. The result, the Boks’ first win over the hosts on Aussie soil since 2013, means they lie third (nine-points), level on points with Dave Rennie’s boys (second) and Argentina (fourth), with the All Blacks one-point better off in first. With two Tests against Los Pumas coming up, one would think Jacques Nienaber’s men will need to win both to stand a chance of walking away with the championship.

In a massive blow to the world champions though, star midfielder Lukhanyo Am has been ruled out for the remainder of the Test season, while both Handre Pollard and Bongi Mbonambi will miss the rest of the Rugby Championship. The Boks’ strength in depth is going to be severely tested from here on out.

ABs thump Pumas

New Zealand ran out 53-3 victors over Argentina in Hamilton only a week on from their shock loss to the South Americans in Christchurch. Just as they did following their first ever defeat to the Pumas in 2020, the Kiwis rallied hard to completely pick apart the Argentines in the follow-up game – and put them top of the pile with two rounds remaining.

The fate of the championship now rests on the Bledisloe series, as well as the two clashes between Argentina and South Africa. The competition has never been this tightly contested and the final two rounds of the competition will be watched with bated breath.