The world champions were made to sweat for it. South Africa scored 42 points at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday but needed a late Jesse Kriel breakaway to finally shake off a Scotland side that simply would not go away, running out 42-28 winners in a Nations Championship contest that swung more than once before the Springboks pulled clear.
Rassie Erasmus had made 10 changes and handed the goal-kicking back to Handre Pollard, and his reshuffled hosts flew out of the blocks. Quick tries from Papier (17') and Roos (19') put South Africa 14-0 up inside 20 minutes and Loftus was purring.
Scotland, still without a win on South African soil after eight attempts, had other ideas. Fagerson crossed on 34 minutes and fullback Kyle Rowe finished off a sweeping move on the stroke of half-time, Finn Russell converting both to level the game at 14-14 at the break.
The Springboks' greater depth eventually told. Three tries in ten minutes around the hour mark — through Louw (58'), Willemse (60') and Porthen (66'), all converted by Pollard — looked to have settled it. Yet Scotland refused to fold. Replacement forward Josh Bayliss (68') and a White try (70'), both goaled by Russell, hauled the visitors back to within seven with ten minutes left before Kriel's late intercept-and-run made the game safe.
Springbok captain Pieter-Steph du Toit was generous afterwards. "All credit to Scotland, they came out and played unbelievably well," he said. "We stuck to our systems and finished well at the end."
For Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu — outstanding with a match-high 72 metres from 14 carries — the frustration was hard to hide. "I am a little bit gutted to be honest," he said. "The period after half-time hurt us. We had a lot of possession in their 22 and didn't capitalise."
Erasmus defended his heavily rotated selection after a chaotic afternoon, the victory extending South Africa's winning run to 10 consecutive Tests and keeping the champions on top of the Nations Championship standings. Scotland coach Gregor Townsend was left with the familiar mix of pride and frustration, convinced his adventurous side had been on the brink of a landmark result before the Springbok bench turned the contest.
Russell, still rated among the finest fly-halves in the game, and Tuipulotu gave Scotland genuine attacking bite, and the four-try, 28-point haul away from home offered real encouragement. But at Loftus, where the altitude and the champions' finishing so often decide these things, it was again not quite enough.
