A showcase of talent put on a stunning display as the South African A side whitewashed World Cup qualifiers Zimbabwe 40-0 in the main curtain-raiser to the Springboks-Barbarians game in Gqeberha on Saturday.
But what was a supreme reminder of the amount of talent in the country was overshadowed a tad by the red card for young flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, which may be costly for the Junior Boks, as a ban may well impact his participation in the Junior World Championship later this month.
Ahmed, who scored an exceptional individual opening try and was one of the stars on the day, had a moment of madness where he chipped over the defence, but then intentionally took out Zimbabwean fullback Tapuwa Mafura in the air, with the latter falling badly.
Ahmed walked away knowing the extent of the moment, and it was the bunker that confirmed the red a few minutes later. The Junior Boks will be waiting on tenterhooks for the outcome.
The same goes for Zekhetelo Siyaya, who came off and required medical attention, and is also likely to be in doubt for the Junior Boks.
That moment was a rare poor outcome on an afternoon where the Boks for the next two World Cups were on display and while many of them aren’t expected to play this season for the Green and Gold, it will serve as a warning to the rest of the rugby world just how good they are.
It was a pity that the showcase of South Africa’s next generation of talent was played in front of a half-empty stadium, but those who were there were certainly entertained.
The tries were perhaps fewer than many of them had hoped, but they certainly were good.
Ahmed was the first to go over, weaving his way through a bevvy of defenders before finding the whitewash with ease.
Another teenage sensation - this time midfielder Markus Muller - added his name to the scoresheet after some excellent interplay between forwards and backs.
Haashim Pead, last season’s World Junior Player of the year, was quick to follow him, dummying and darting around the fringes of the scrum to go over untouched.
Zimbabwe had a few interesting runs, but will need to work on their finishing if they are to make an impact at next year’s World Cup. The game would have provided them with a lot of food for thought as well.
With Ahmed gone, things went a bit slower and Zimbabwe found a bit more of a footing in the game, but were never going to make a massive impact.
Nico Steyn,Immy Khan and Jaco Williams both added tries to continue the scoring with the final score a reflection of a worklike, if not imperfect and hopeful glimpse of the future.
Scorers
South Africa
A - tries: Yaqeen Ahmed, Markus Muller, Haashim Pead, Nico Steyn, Immy Khan, Jaco Williams
Conversions:
Ahmed (3), Luan Gillomee (2)