The Springboks survived some tense moments to post a strong 42-28 win over a brave Scotland side in their Nations Championship match at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
In the end it was a big try from Jesse Kriel, running onto a grubber from Quan Horn that made the telling difference and gave the Boks an uncomfortable win.
It wasn’t the first time that Rassie Erasmus had thrown down the gauntlet to a bunch of young players and played an inexperienced team in a test.
It backfired in Bloemfontein in 2018 against Wales but it laid the foundation for the 2019 World Cup victory.
There have been a number of other times he has done it as well, but few will be remembered for the battle that took place under the new lights at the Loftus Versfeld discotheque.
The once Pretoria fortress may have been the place that Kyle Steyn and his bunch of Glasgow Warriors had stunned the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final a few years ago, but there was no repeat this time around for the 13 Scotstoun players that started this test.
But while they may have won, the Boks certainly knew they were in a battle. One which tested the World Cup ambitions of a bunch of youngsters who had to dig deep at times to stop Scotland from coming close to a famous victory.
The Springboks hold their nerve to make it 2/2 in the #NationsChampionship 🇿🇦🏉#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/26LuV19qw0
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 11, 2026
BOK RESOLVE AND BIG MOMENTS
Because make no mistake, this is a very good Scotland side. They believe in what they do and certainly at Loftus Versveld, they never went away.
Still, you got the idea that this will do the Boks a lot of good, especially for the youngsters coming through, as this sort of pressure will need to be withstood in Australia next year when they get to the World Cup.
Twice Scotland refused to die - first when 14-0 down, clawing their way back to level matters by the break, and then again at 35-14 when it looked as if the Boks had the game in the bag.
Early heroics saw a trademark individual try by Embrose Papier and a storming one from Evan Roos, but those were negated by Scotland’s Matt Fagerson and Kyle Rowe late in the half.
There were plenty of moments where Scotland would have believed they could pull off the upset, where they opened up the Bok defence and where they found holes that should never have been there.
It took some deep resolve, some big moments and some massive determination to pull this one through, and it could have easily gone horribly wrong.
The key moment came in the 50th minute. With the scores level and the Boks down to 14 men when Ben-Jason Dixon was sin-binned for a soft head clash that should never have warranted a yellow card, they packed down with seven men for a scrum eight metres from their own line.
And Scotland went for them. They drove in but the Boks didn’t relent, winning a crucial penalty to ensure they got out of their red zone and were able to restore parity in numbers shortly afterwards.
That shift was a massive one because the Boks moved downfield, won another penalty and put it into the corner.
Their lineout drive was deadly and their pick and go pushed Scotland back. And when Elrigh Louw surged over from close range, it was more a sigh of relief than celebration.
The next kickoff led to a Bok penalty, and a lineout drive walked 20 metres with Scotland before a sweeping move saw the Boks stopped on the 22.
Damian Willemse, quick as lightning, picked up and jinked inside, beating two players to score.
Zac Porthen added another try from close range and it was 35-14. It seemed it was game over with just over 15 minutes to go.
STANDOUT PLAYERS
But Scotland had other ideas. Big holes were in the midfield, and first Magnus Bradbury and then Ben White scored, bringing the scoreline closer.
White may have knocked on in the lead-up to his try from a previous ruck, but the 21 point margin was down to seven with Scotland brimming with confidence.
And then the shift came, and the grubber bounced perfectly for Kriel, who bounced off the first tackle and outstripped Kyle Rowe to score a statement try. This was personal and it was massive.
Jesse Kriel finishes the job 🏉🙌
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 11, 2026
The Boks win by 14 points at Loftus Versfeld 🇿🇦🔥#SSRugby | #NationsChampionship pic.twitter.com/pL6oPOUNYn
The scoreline looked a lot more comfortable than it probably should have been but the Boks will know another youth brigade have faced some stern fire, and come out unscathed.
The lessons learnt from this game will be more important than the result.
At one stage the Boks had to rejig their backline, and made changes that would have made most coaches struggle, but the adaptability was key to the win and will be good going forward.
And the players who stood out - the likes of Papier, Roos, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Nortje, Quan Horn and Porthen, would have put their hands up to tell the selectors they won’t back down.
But neither did anyone on the field, and despite the moments that made the fans worry, it was a test that the Boks overcame, and their youth brigade could be proud.
Bigger lessons will come, and bigger tests as well, but the Boks learnt so much more from this game than the points they earned in the Championship.
And they knew they were in a game as well.
SOUTH AFRICA - tries: Embrose Papier, Evan Roos, Elrigh Louw, Damian Willemse, Zack Porthen, Jesse Kriel. Conversions: Handre Pollard (5), Quan Horn.,
SCOTLAND - tries: Matt Fagerson, Kyle Rowe, Matt Fagerson, Ben White. Conversions: Finn Russell (4)
Yellow: Ben-Jason Dixon