The Rugby Championship was blown wide open on Saturday evening when Argentina stunned the All Blacks by securing their first ever win against them on home soil, turning the competition into a four-horse race.

The Citizen reports that after the Wallabies shocked the Springboks 38-22 at Ellis Park in the first round, the Boks bounced back with a 30-22 win in the second Test in Cape Town yesterday to get themselves on the board.

Not to be outdone, Argentina pulled off their own comeback victory, having lost their opening match 41-24 in Córdoba. They responded with an impressive 29-23 win in Buenos Aires late last night.

It was a second-half show from the hosts, after the two sides were level at 13-all at halftime. Argentina then surged into a 26-13 lead, before the All Blacks needed a late penalty on the fulltime hooter to narrow the gap to six points and secure a losing bonus point.

It was just Argentina’s fourth win over New Zealand, and their first in front of home fans, with their record now reading 36 losses, one draw and four wins against the All Blacks.

It was, however, not a massively surprising result, as all of Argentina’s wins have come in the last five years, since they finally broke their duck after losing 29 of their first 30 games while drawing once.

That breakthrough came during the Tri Nations series (the Boks sat out due to Covid-19) in 2020, when Argentina clinched a 25-15 win in Sydney.

Win in New Zealand

Their second triumph, and first in New Zealand, came in 2022 when they shocked the All Blacks 25-18 in Christchurch. Last year they followed it up with a 38-30 win in Wellington, before making history on home soil this year.

Thanks to that result, The Rugby Championship log is now congested, with the All Blacks top on six points, the Wallabies second on five, and the Boks and Los Pumas joint third on four points, separated only by points difference.

It is now anyone’s game, although tough tours Down Under for the Boks and Argentina could play a big role in how the competition finishes.

The Boks face the All Blacks in two blockbuster games at Eden Park in Auckland and in Wellington, while the Wallabies host Los Pumas in Queensland and Sydney.

The Aussies will be particularly confident, having beaten the British and Irish Lions and the Boks, while also pushing both teams in close defeats in their last four games. They will now look to back that up against Argentina.

For the Boks and All Blacks, the next two games will be pivotal.

Next round fixtures

September 6

• Wallabies v Los Pumas in Queensland – Kick-off 06:30 (SA time)

• All Blacks v Springboks in Auckland – Kick-off 09:05 (SA time)