Argentina captain Agustin Creevy could not hide his delight after his side secured a memorable 32-19 win over South Africa in Mendoza on Saturday.
Creevy described his side’s triumph as “special” because it ended an 11-match losing streak in the Rugby Championship.
The result against the Springboks is also significant after los Pumas suffered a 34-21 defeat against the two-time world champions in the corresponding fixture in Durban last weekend.
“All victories are sweet, but this one was particularly satisfying,” Creevy told AFP.
“We faced a powerful Springboks team and we won — that is special. We took a big step forward from last weekend when we lost in Durban.
“The team learnt from the mistakes made in South Africa. We attacked brilliantly in the first half and defended equally brilliantly in the second half.”
Fly-half and man-of-the-match Nicolas Sanchez, who contirbuted 17 points, praised the crowd in Mendoza and said they inspired the team to victory.
“This is a perfect venue for us,” he revealed.
“The crowd were magnificent. They inspired us with their sustained support.
“The second half was extremely difficult for us because South Africa had a lot of possession and were camped in our half of the pitch.
“They tried to wear us out, but we kept our lead thanks to a gigantic effort by everyone — the run-on team and the replacements.
“I favoured tactical kicking at times to slow the pace and try to dictate the rhythm of the match.”
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