The Boks edged a determined Argentina 27-25 at Twickenham in London to claim back-to-back Rugby Championship titles for the first time in their history. Los Pumas truly took the game to the Boks, but their character and experience got them over the line, especially with the pressure of knowing the All Blacks would have won the Championship had they lost at the Home of English Rugby.

Hooker Malcolm Marx and Stormers-bound scrumhalf Cobus Reinach each scored a brace of tries during the victory in front of 77,000 spectators in London. It must be said the world champions were well supported, and throughout the thrilling Test there were constant chants of “Bokke, Bokke, Bokke!”.

While the Springboks have achieved so much with Rassie Erasmus at the helm, winning back-to-back Championship titles meant a great deal to every player and technical staff member, and Marx admitted that it felt surreal and would take some time to sink in.

“It's a bit surreal, to be honest. I don't know how to express my words,” said Marx.

“I’m just extremely grateful for everything that’s happened over the past couple of weeks, the lessons learned, and the victories we’ve had.

“I think it will probably all sink in over the next couple of days, after what we’ve achieved, but there’s still a lot of hard work ahead and obviously room for improvement.”

Marx added that it was important for the team to focus on the job at hand and not on what was happening down in Perth, where the All Blacks beat the Wallabies 28-14 to keep their title hopes alive.

“There were obviously factors involved, but we just tried to focus on ourselves and give the best performance we could on the day,” Marx added.

“There were errors and areas we could probably improve on, but we’ll definitely take the victory and celebrate it.”

The two-time Rugby World Cup winner added that what this Springbok team has achieved since 2018 is remarkable, but winning the Championship back-to-back with this group is especially humbling.

“It’s very humbling, to be honest. I think there are still a lot of things we can improve on. I’m trying to be as modest as possible here. I know we’ve just won the Rugby Championship, but honestly, I’m probably just lost for words.

“I’m extremely grateful for the support, the fans who came out from far and wide. No matter where we played, they were there backing us. 

“And to my teammates and the coaching staff, it’s been absolutely unbelievable. There were highs and lows, but we stuck together and got through it.”

The Bloemfontein-born scrum-half Cobus Reinach was named as the player of the match. Photo: SA Rugby

The Springboks will enjoy a much-needed, albeit short, break, with some players returning to their United Rugby Championship franchises before turning their attention to the highly anticipated End-of-Year Tour. \

With the draw for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia taking place in December, the next five Tests in Europe will be of utmost importance, and the Boks will look to retain their number one ranking.

The Springboks will kick off their End-of-Year Tour on 1 November against Japan at the iconic Home of English Football, Wembley, in London. They will then face France (Paris), Italy (La Nucia), Ireland (Dublin), and Wales (Cardiff) to close out their season.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek cvs