South Africa made too many mistakes at crucial times and one missed kick by Manie Libbok was not the reason for their loss to Argentina.

Loss Pumas ended the Springboks’ unbeaten run with a thrilling 29-28 win in their Rugby Championship match at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero on Saturday.

Replacement flyhalf Libbok missed a penalty goal attempt from 35 metres out in front in the last minute, which would have secured the title for South Africa.

However, his now infamous failures under pressure came back to haunt him once again.

The Boks now need one point from the final match of the tournament – when they face Los Pumas in Nelspruit next week – to clinch the championship.

“Argentina deserves to win,” a bleak Erasmus told a post-match media briefing.

The Springboks made a blazing start in a match played in 36°C heat, leading 17-0 inside 13 minutes.

However, a yellow card to wing Kurt-Lee Arendse in the 16th minute turned the game on its head.

Los Pumas scored two tries in the 10 minutes he was off the field and wrested momentum in the game.

Erasmus refused to blame the missed kick by Libbok at the end, saying there were many things they could have done better.

“Argentina took their chances,” he said, adding: “It shouldn’t have come down to one point – one kick.”

Erasmus said he had hoped that Libbok had slotted the match-winner, as it would now again face the wrath of angry fans and media.

“He kicked well the whole week [in training] and in the warm-up he slotted everything, but it is pressure.

“Again, I don’t think the game should have come down to the wire – with one man [needing] to kick it over.

“There were many opportunities where we lost the ball in line-outs or give away a penalty inside their 22.

“It was not a great display from us.

“He [Libbok] will get a lot of flack, we all know that.

“He will have to find a way to manage that and we will all get a lot of flack for him missing that kick.

“However, it should not have come down to the last kick for us to win the game, we should have done it much earlier.”

Argentina will have to beat South Africa with a bonus point in the return match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit next Saturday and prevent the Springboks from securing any points.

“Credit to Argentina, they put us under a lot of pressure,” stand-in captain Salmaan Moerat said.

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Springboks player ratings: ‘Magnificent’ Ox Nche let down by team-mates as rapid start comes to nothing

Following a 29-28 defeat to Argentina in the Rugby Championship clash in Santiago del Estero on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the Springboks.

15 Aphelele Fassi: A few errors here and there but a real threat on attack, continuing his progress this season after establishing himself in the Springboks XV. 6

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Just got it slightly wrong in the tackle and was deservedly yellow carded. Didn’t see a whole lot of the ball in attack but was always willing, especially off kick-chase. 6

Great opening

13 Jesse Kriel: An incredible first 20 minutes where he was at the heart of South Africa’s stunning start. Influence waned after that, but he was still good on both sides of the ball. 7

12 Lukhanyo Am: Combined reasonably well with Kriel early on but not sure 12 will be his position going forward. Feels like it will be 13 or bust for Am, who hasn’t been quite as influential at inside centre. 5

11 Makazole Mapimpi: Never stops working and will chase kicks all day. Not quite the threat he once was with ball in hand, though, and he struggled to make inroads. 5

10 Handre Pollard: Several classy moments early on before the Springboks rather lost control of the game. Pollard very much showed that he’s not going away in the battle for the fly-half shirt, albeit he wasn’t perfect. 7

9 Cobus Reinach: Moved the ball quickly as the Boks raced into the lead and then scored a crucial try to get them back into it after Argentina’s explosive 20 minutes, but there were some lapses. 7

No big carries

8 Jasper Wiese: Surprisingly quiet from the number eight. We didn’t see his usual barnstorming carries while he also failed to make much of an impact in defence. 5

7 Ben-Jason Dixon: The flanker is certainly getting there at Test level. His contribution for Kriel’s try was excellent and there were some other good moments as well. 7

6 Marco van Staden: A couple of big turnovers as he showed his worth at the breakdown but, along with Dixon, Van Staden was replaced early in the second period. 7

5 Ruan Nortje: An absolute workhorse all game, even though there were a few lineout wobbles. Has started his Test career well, though. 7

4 Salmaan Moerat (c): Put himself about and was influential early on, but struggled as the Argentines got into the game. Was one of those to be hooked after the break. 5

Scrum dominance but lineout issues

3 Thomas du Toit: Scrum wasn’t too much of a factor while he was on the field but, when he did pack down, Du Toit was dominant. Also won an excellent turnover in a good showing. 7

2 Malcolm Marx: Lineout just went awry on too many occasions, while Marx didn’t make the impact he usually does in the loose. A surprisingly subpar game. 5

1 Ox Nche: Rare for a Springboks prop to last more than an hour, but Nche did in a magnificent display. Scrummaging, carrying, tackling, the loosehead was superb. 9

Replacements: The famed ‘Bomb Squad’ simply did not make enough of an impact. Eben Etzebeth, as expected, was excellent on his record-equalling day, while Vincent Koch scrummaged well, but the rest failed to make their mark. However, if only Manie Libbok had got that final penalty. It’s tough to single out players but you’ve simply got to nail those. 5