Over 45 000 people had gathered at Kings Park to see the Springboks play, but Argentina ultimately spoilt the fun.
But if I must be brutally honest, the 38-21 triumph on Saturday night was spoiled by the Boks themselves.
The South Africans were well aware of what they had to do to defeat the All Blacks, who had defeated the Wallabies 40-14 earlier in the day in Auckland, and score 39 points more than Los Pumas to win the Rugby Championship.
However, the Argentinians seemed to be running nonstop and shown more offensive creativity than the hosts.
Yes, the overbearing Australian referee Damon Murphy didn’t assist the Boks. He ruined the game’s flow with his constant blowing of the whistle and lengthy justifications, and his absurd yellow card against Eben Etzebeth in the second half.
But Murphy, who is 37, is not to blame, according to Siya Kolisi and his crew.
In actuality, the Bok issues began even before the game began when coach Jacques Nienaber chose Frans Steyn to fill in at flyhalf when Damian Willemse was diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out.
He said that he had few practical choices since Handre Pollard was injured and Elton Jantjies was ruled out due to his off-field difficulties.
However, it was Nienaber who resisted signing uncapped specialist pivots, like Manie Libbok of the Stormers, who won the URC championship, Chris Smith of the Bulls, who placed third in the URC, and promising youngster Jordan Hendrikse of the Lions.
And at Kings Park, the Bok manager suffered dearly for that choice.
Steyn wasn’t acting like a playmaker, attempting things on his own, skipping touches on penalties, and other such behaviours. However, I don’t hold it against him since we all know what to expect from the 35-year-old veteran.
At least he kicked a 50-meter penalty, which was also an unusual choice since they were attempting to get a bonus point.
Nienaber should take note of this lesson well in advance of the Rugby World Cup in 2019.
The first Bok game plan, which included softening up Argentina by sapping their energy and spirit through the middle with the forwards, was the appropriate one. It also involved dominating physically in scrums and driving mauls.
The South Africans succeeded in doing so, but they later wasted a number of chances to attack due to knock-ons, breakdown penalties, and frantic Los Pumas defence, resulting in only 17 points in the first half.
There was lots of front-foot ball and plenty of opportunities for players like Makazole Mapimpi and Canan Moodie to enter the game. But as the world champions continued to force their way ahead, the ball hardly got beyond Steyn and Damian de Allende.
They were in need of a point of differentiation, but neither Steyn nor the Bok coaches could provide one. In reality, despite having basically nothing to play for in comparison to their opponents, Argentina played with more forward desire.
Even when Willie le Roux was substituted at fullback in the second half by Kurt-Lee Arendse, South Africa maintained its composure and seldom threw a punch in annoyance at the Argentina defence out wide.
The Boks earned all the accolades for their poise in the second half and the way they attempted to breach the defence during last week’s 36-20 triumph in Buenos Aires.
This time, their planning, execution, and decision-making fell short, and they lost a fantastic opportunity to take home their first Rugby Championship championship since 2009.
The only thing Nienaber and his squad could really look forward to was another win at the conclusion of a hard season. They will now take a little time off before the end-of-year trip to Europe.
But in Durban, the offensive strides achieved in recent months went a step backward, necessitating some future ideas from the Bok brain trust.
Point-scorers
Jasper Wiese, Siya Kolisi, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and other tries for the Springboks total 38. (2). Frans Steyn translates (3). Charge: Steyn
Pumas 21 – Attempts by Matias Moroni, Juan Martin Gonzalez, and Gonzalo Bertranou. Emiliano Boffelli converts.