The Springboks got their 2024 campaign under way with a comfortable 41-13 win over Wales at Twickenham on Saturday but they will have ended the game knowing some fine-tuning will be needed before they head into the first test against Ireland at Loftus in a fortnight from now.
In the end the margin of 20 points or more that most were predicting before the game in favour of the World Cup champions was forthcoming but if Bok coach Rassie Erasmus was hoping Wales would front and give his team a proper examination in this warmup to the two game series against Ireland he got what he was asking for.
Fantastic day out for the #Springboks at Twickenham 💪#ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/bVNv7E0yzs
— Springboks (@Springboks) June 22, 2024
Pieter-Steph du Toit’s men started like a steam train, an express one at that, as they powered to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter of an hour but then they appeared to get a bit ahead of themselves, perhaps trying to play too much rugby, getting a bit loose and losing their discipline, and Wales hit back at them in the second quarter.
FASSI PASSED THE TEST
Instead of the Boks running away with it, Wales were in the game up to halftime, when they trailed 14-13, and in that period they posed some questions.
For instance there was a probing examination of fullback Aphelele Fassi’s safety under the high ball which, despite the one awkward take which saw him quite bizarrely yellow carded, he passed with flying colours.
Everyone knows Fassi is good on the attack but in this game it was other aspects of his play that were properly tested and he came through those with a faultless performance.
On the subject of his attacking play, it was his joining the line and overhead pass to Kwagga Smith after a good drive through by Evan Roos that set up the space that Jesse Kriel and Makazole Mapimpi used for the bit of interplay down the left flank that sent Kriel in for the first try after just three minutes of play.
That came after debutant flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, who had a bit of a nervous start to his international career, had missed a relatively easy penalty attempt.
Hendrikse also had a pass intercepted and sent a kick off too long, but he also did some good things such as some superb penalty kicks out of hand, and he recovered from his early miss from the tee by converting Makazole’s try two minutes after halftime from the touchline.
He later kicked a penalty from fairly long range that showed he’d found his radar.
The Boks looked like they might be set to go beyond the 50 mark in the first quarter hour, and the pressure they applied through their power game led to two early Welsh yellow cards.
The first was to wing Rio Dyer, who was ruled to be cynically offside as the Bok forwards surged towards the line and were held up, and the second was copped by Aaron Wainright as referee Chris Busby lost his patience and awarded the Boks a penalty try.
SCRUM DOMINANCE NOT ALWAYS REWARDED
The South Africans had asserted their anticipated dominance in the scrums, something they weren’t always properly rewarded with by the referee, but the lineouts were a bit iffy to say the least.
In defence of the Bok performance in a phase where Wales did show eagerness to compete, hooker Malcolm Marx was playing his first game since being injured in training at last year’s World Cup. He will get into the groove in the coming weeks.
As no doubt will the Boks, who showed glimpses of the additions that will come to their game courtesy of the arrival of former All Black flyhalf and Japan and Highlanders coach Tony Brown as attack.
There were some impressive little short passing forays included among their usual power game.
Perhaps they overdid it at times in that first half, when they should probably have consolidated and held onto the ball a bit longer rather than be so quick to get rid of it.
It was Fassi’s yellow card that shifted the momentum in the first half. It was from the penalty awarded from the incident where he was carded that Welsh captain Dewi Lake barrelled over from the attacking lineout.
A second Costelow penalty to go with one in the first 10 minutes made it a one point game at the break, and at that point it felt like Wales were well in the game.
It required the Boks to reassert authority quickly after the restart and that is exactly what they did, with Kriel featuring again in a sweep down the left that saw Mapimpi over in the corner.
SACHA’S FIRST BOK POINTS A MONSTER KICK
Hendrikse stretched the lead with his touchline conversion and then a later penalty, and Erasmus had pretty much emptied his bench by the hour mark, with the two Stormers, Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, joining the two Lions Hendrikse and Edwill van der Merwe, who produced a great run with his first touch of the ball and scored a great individualistic try with his last touch five minutes from the end, in securing their debuts.
The Springboks retain the Qatar Airways Cup 🏆
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 22, 2024
Edwill van der Merwe scored this marvelous try on debut - the perfect reminder why he’s playing for the Boks 🔥#RSAvWAL pic.twitter.com/Z5t1fqOcci
No sooner was Feinberg-Mngomezulu on the field than he kicked a penalty from inside his own half that confirmed his temperament as well as his renowned ability off the tee.
Mbonambi made absolutely sure of the win by dotting down a driving maul try not long after that and then came the Van der Merwe magic that put the cherry on the top.
SCORES
SOUTH AFRICA 41 - Tries: Jesse Kriel, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and Edwill van der Merwe; Penalty try; Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse 2 and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2; Penalties: Jordan Hendrikse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
WALES 13 - Try: Dewi Lake; Conversion: Sam Costelow; Penalties: Sam Costelow 2.