You have to add the caveat that it was just the Barbarians and Zimbabwe that they were playing against and that the real test will come in just under two weeks, but there was more reason than just the two results in Gqeberha to add to Springbok confidence ahead of their first challenge.
On the same night that the Vodacom Bulls were slumping to a disturbingly one-sided defeat to Leinster in a Vodacom URC final that featured 12 of the players called up to the 46-man group Rassie Erasmus will work with from Monday as preparations intensify for the Nations Championship, the opponents at Ellis Park on 4 July were receiving their own wake-up call.
The Gallagher Premiership final was being played the next day, so the England XV selected and coached by Steve Borthwick for a game against their French counterparts in Vannes was some way short of full strength. But so were the Bok and South Africa A sides that won so convincingly at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
There were enough of the England players expected to front in Johannesburg, including a player in South African-born centre Bernhard Janse van Rensburg who won’t be available for the first game but will make his England debut later in the initial phase of the championship, to suggest it was not a weekend that would have boosted the England confidence. The form shown by the mightily impressive and less flashy Henry Pollock plus flyhalf Fin Smith in the Premiership decider notwithstanding.
DEFENSIVE ISSUES WILL BE WORKED ON
Yes, there were some issues for the Boks in their win over a much more competitive Barbarians team than the one that lost 54-7 in Cape Town last year. There was a period where the visitors exposed some errors in the Bok defensive system and vulnerabilities when defending the offload game.
But then, as skipper Siya Kolisi suggested afterwards, it is not the perfect game that a team learns from at this point of the season, but one that features mistakes that draw attention to what should be rectified. And you can bet your house that Erasmus will be putting the defensive organisation aspect of their game high on the list of priorities in training in Johannesburg this week.
A DAY WHEN OLD STAGERS ALSO SHONE
On a day when it was the newcomers such as young lock Riley Norton and the other under-20 or recent under-20 players such as flyhalf Vusi Moyo who attracted attention in the rave reviews and were later rewarded by selection into Erasmus’ squad, there was also a strong reminder from more established players of their abilities and what has made them World Cup winners.
Kolisi himself was one of those, with his explosive ball carrying. Amid all the criticism directed at the struggling and under-performing Hollywoodbets Sharks in the last URC season, there was neglect of the strong form that Kolisi was invariably in when he did play. He was never one of the Boks that the Sharks bosses could accuse of shirking.
And in Gqeberha he reminded us that while he may be 34, the soon-to-be DHL Stormers player is far from done as an international player. But he was overshadowed by the outstanding, rampaging presence of No 8 Jasper Wiese, who just looks on a different level to all other players in his position, even the excellent big Samoan No 8 who opposed him and was an early threat in Gqeberha.
Pieter-Steph du Toit, the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year, was his usual confident self and he will provide great cover at lock as well as his usual presence in the blindside flank position when the real business of test rugby begins 12 days from now. As will Ben-Jason Dixon, who was impressive when he came on later in the game, a player who is comfortable at lock and wants to play there.
KOLBE PROVIDES PLACE-KICKING SAFETY NET
But it may have been another of the veteran double World Cup winners who provided Erasmus with most reason to feel more comfortable after watching the Gqeberha double header. Cheslin Kolbe. With Handre Pollard having shown disturbing form in the URC final - he wasn’t alone, and Canan Moodie has also struggled recently - and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu out injured, there remains lingering concern over flyhalf.
Indeed, when Pollard went walkabout in the 36-7 defeat suffered by the Bulls, it showed us why Erasmus wasn’t prepared to risk an injury to Manie Libbok against the Barbarians. Yes, he defended Pollard afterwards, as he would have been expected to do, but Erasmus did show what he really feels when he wrapped Libbok up in cotton wool rather than play him against the Barbarians.
Moyo delivered a calm performance when he came on to play flyhalf after a mixed performance from the retreaded flyhalf Quan Horn - the missed early tackle that led to the first Barbarians try was balanced out by his attacking shine - but while Moyo was rewarded with a place in the Bok squad, Erasmus will want an experienced pivot in the big games.
If anything happens to Libbok or Pollard, who wasn’t just in poor form in the final, his general URC showing wasn’t impactful for the Bulls, Erasmus may have to turn to the next cab off the rank, Damian Willemse. The first choice fullback who also plays centre is a fine flyhalf but can be an inconsistent goalkicker.
That’s where Kolbe comes in. Apart from reminding us of his attacking skills, and with his try, the danger he could pose to opponents if ever asked to deputise at scrumhalf, he produced a virtuoso performance from the kicking tee. He did miss two kicks, but generally he was on target, with some of his kicks from the touchline.
KOLBE'S KICKING SKILL CAME TO THE FORE IN JAPAN
Kolbe was the top scorer in the Japan league last season, so it was already known that he had come to the fore as a place-kicker, but against the Barbarians he confirmed that he can do it for the Boks too. And in so doing provide a safety net for Erasmus in the sense that with Kolbe set up as a kicker, he doesn’t always have to select a goalkicking maestro at flyhalf.
Libbok has been excellent in the last year with his place-kicking, but everyone knows he too can occasionally go walkabout with his kicking from the tee, and when he does that Kolbe’s presence elsewhere in the team could mean he can focus on his sublime all-round general play skills when that is necessary.
WEEKEND INTERNATIONAL FIXTURE RESULTS
Springboks 80 Barbarians 31
South Africa A 40 Zimbabwe 0
France XV 35 England XV 19