There was a time in this game when the 50,000 present expected a Boswell Wilkie big top to be thrown over Kings Park as their team fluctuated between the sublime and the ridiculous, but eventually the world champions rolled up their sleeves and delivered a performance for the ages.
Few could believe their eyes as the first half an hour of a low-scoring arm wrestle exploded into a scoring extravaganza as the Boks scorched to a 67-30 victory that places them emphatically in pole position to win the Rugby Championship.
With one round to go, the Boks are in first place, one point in front of New Zealand. The latter travel to Perth this week for a return fixture against the Wallabies, while the Boks and the Pumas renew hostilities in London in the last game of the tournament.
And it was Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu who was both circus master and magician as he delivered a flyhalf performance to rival anything the great Dan Carter produced in his stellar years with the All Blacks.
The 23-year-old scored a spectacular hat-trick and created several more for his teammates when — after a period of madness from his teammates gifted the Pumas 14 points — he almost single-handedly took the game by the scruff of the neck and thrust the Pumas firmly into their place.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s 37 points took him past Percy Montgomery’s record for an individual in a Test for South Africa.
Every time Feinberg-Mngomezulu touched the ball, there were expectant cheers from the crowd as they encouraged more golden touches from King Midas.
It was a bewildering game that, for much of the first half, suggested it would be a battle of strangulation, but then came an exhibition of scoring.
Just a minute into the game, there was a set scrum, and the Boks made a telling statement. The blue and white scrum was shunted backward, and the penalty, just inside the Boks’ half, was awarded. Feinberg-Mngomezulu coolly landed the monster kick to put the Boks 3-0 up.
The Pumas did not flinch and had the better of the exchanges over the next eight minutes, and a penalty for offside at a ruck was converted into three points by flyhalf Santiago Carreras.
Argentina were the dominant team in the opening 15 minutes, and they deserved to go 6-3 up when their pressure produced another penalty for Carreras to slot through the uprights.
The first quarter ended with Feinberg-Mngomezulu levelling the scores at 6-6.
The Pumas were marginally on top and deserved to go 9-6 up with Carreras’ third penalty.
It was around half an hour into the game that the Springboks started to pull finger and put the Pumas under pressure for the first time.
Eben Etzebeth powered over for a try that would be disallowed because of a confused interpretation by referee Angus Gardner. The try did not stand, but the Boks were given a penalty, which they kicked to the corner, and a lineout maul surged forward with Malcolm Marx powering over for his 24th Test try.
That places him level with wing JP Pietersen. The two are eighth on the all-time Springbok try-scoring list, which is headed by Bryan Habana (67).
The Pumas took the lead in freakish circumstances when the TMO decided that Cheslin Kolbe, after grounding the ball in his dead-ball area, had drop-kicked the ball to his teammates near the posts for the drop-out. When centre Santiago Chocobares intercepted the kick and grounded the ball, it was ruled a legitimate try.
Over 50,000 people in the stadium scratched their heads as to what had transpired. It was the easiest seven points Argentina have ever scored.
There was a further seven-point gift for the Pumas when Malcolm Marx was pinned for pulling down a maul. He was yellow-carded, and the Pumas banked a penalty try.
It was at this point that the Boks manned up and decided to kick the ridiculousness into touch.
First, Feinberg-Mngomezulu danced through the defence in the Pumas’ red zone to score near the posts, and then he added a scorcher when he kicked into open territory and outpaced everyone, including Kolbe, to ground the ball for a spectacular score.
The Feinberg-Mngomezulu magic continued shortly after half-time when he nudged a pinpoint cross-kick to the touchline, and Kolbe redeemed himself with a magnificent catch before racing to the line.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu completed his hat-trick with a dummy, à la Grant Williams, before diving over the line.
The Pumas crumbled in the last quarter as tries were added by Pieter-Steph du Toit, Morne van den Berg and Manie Libbok.
Scorers
South Africa — Penalties: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Tries: Malcolm Marx, Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3), Morne van den Berg, Cheslin Kolbe, Manie Libbok, Pieter-Steph du Toit (2). Conversions: (8)
Argentina — Tries: Santiago Choccobares. Penalty Try, Tomas Albornoz, Tomas Albornoz. Penalties: Santiago Carreras (3). Conversions: Carreras (2).
