The score was 41-13 in favour of South Africa against Wales. The match demonstrated that South African rugby’s quintessential qualities are still relevant, under the leadership of a new coaching team in their first stint at Twickenham.
Rassie Erasmus has returned as the head coach and Tony Brown, known for his divergent approach to attacking play, hails from New Zealand and is now in charge of the backs. Jerry Flannery, the former hooker for both Munster and Ireland, is known for emphasising effective defence, is now focused on blocking the opponents using the same high-paced strategy.
The Irish team is gearing up for their tests in South Africa, due to kick off in Pretoria, at high altitude, on the 6th of July. After which they will revel in the coastal city of Durban a week later.
Despite the match occurring outside the international circuit, the Springboks included 10 players from their World Cup triumph squad and an additional six that went to the tournament in France. They also debuted four players, with two of them, wing Edwill van der Merwe and flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, included in the first team.
Andy Farrell, the Irish coach, will have observed minor variations in the Springboks’ strategies, albeit, their principal method of attack was the scrum which resulted in gaining six penalties against Wales. This could have been more, if referee Chris Busby hadn’t disciplined Ox Nche twice.
The lineout was a bit inconsistent, as Malcom Marx had a misguided throw that went over captain Pieter Steph Du Toit, unintentionally assisting Wales. Dewi Lake, Wales’ hooker and captain, seized an opportunity and scored the only try for his team.
The South African team showed a tendency to pass the ball hastily and have adopted more offloading. However, their attempts to expand their tactics also brought about two remarkable tries from centre Jesse Kriel and wing Makazole Mapimpi. The South African team succeeded in integrating their back row players into backline attack.
Erasmus undoubtedly delighted in certain aspects of the match, particularly the performance of debutant right winger Edwill van der Merwe. This 28-year-old newcomer exhibited stunning footwork and a dashing speed, likened to that of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe. Van der Merwe captured a try on his first game, but his overall demonstration demonstrated so many commendable facets, with a good understanding of the game and solid defence skills too.
In terms of handling the ball in the air, fullback Aphelele Fassi was dominant, despite one miscalculation which cost him a yellow card after he accidentally collided with Welsh flanker Taine Plumtree’s neck with his boot instead of pulling it back. Referee Busby was praiseworthy for disregarding the suggestions from his English counterparts that it was merely ‘a rugby incident.’ Aside from that, Fassi demonstrated excellent aerial control, though it must be noted that Wales didn’t present much of a challenge in that aspect, with their kicks often veering off too far.
For an effective game against Ireland, strategic kicking will be essential. Evan Roos and Ox Nche demonstrated promise at the gain-line and Faf de Klerk, as usual, was proactive in his guiding role. Meanwhile, players like Kriel, van der Merwe, Mapimpi, and Fassi consistently managed to elude the Welsh defence.
Despite a shaky start, debutant Jordan Hendrikse, playing at outhalf, found his footing. However, Wales exploited his vulnerability in the backfield passing lanes, leading him to make some impulsive decisions. Both Kwagga Smith and Franco Mostert incurred a few penalties. Despite this, the ‘Boks’’ replacements significantly contributed to the game, turning a close 14-13 halftime lead into a robust 27-point lead without any opposition.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, another replacement outhalf, showed potential, whereas veteran players like hooker Bongi Mbonambi and tighthead Frans Malherbe worked wonders in augmenting the power levels upon their intervention.
The Welsh team deserves recognition for regaining their composure after a rocky start and offering resistance, spearheaded by Lake and Aaron Wainwright. While they did manage two counterattacks, which could have resulted in tries, their possession was effectively guarded against.
Kriel managed to score a try against the team within the first three minutes. This was followed by Dyer and Wainwright being shown yellow cards and subsequently the team was down by 14-3, even after returning to full strength. The Springboks gained additional points from a penalty try that was further complicated by Wainwright’s misstep. However, things started to look marginally better with Lake’s try and Costelow’s successful penalty which brought down the deficit to one point before half-time.
After the interval, Mapimpi skillfully bagged a try as Coach Erasmus called in the reserves. The Welsh side began to falter visibly under the relentless dominance of the Springboks, struggling even more when they had to rely on their substitute players. However, the Welsh were able to show glimpses of offensive prowess, occasionally breaking free from the Springbok’s persistent press.
Looking at the scoring sequence: Kriel opened the score at 3 mins with a try, with Hendrikse converting, 7-0. At 6 mins, Costelow secured a penalty, 7-3. A penalty try at 14 mins made it 14-3 which was further narrowed down by Lake’s try at 29 mins, converted by Costelow, 14-10, and Costelow’s penalty at 34 mins, 14-13. Half-time score was 14-13. Post half-time, Mapimpi’s try at 42 mins, converted by Hendrikse made it 21-13; a Hendrikse penalty at 49 mins, 24-13; a penalty by Feinberg-Mngomezulu at 65 mins made it 27-13; trailed by Mbonambi’s try at 68 mins, converted by Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 34-13; and finally van der Merwe’s try at 74 mins, converted by Feinberg-Mngomezulu ended the match at 41-13.
For South Africa, the following players were active: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Faf de Klerk, Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Kwagga Smith, Pieter-Steph du Toit (capt), and Evan Roos.
Substitutions took place throughout the match as follows: At the 45-minute mark, Bongi Mbonambi replaced Marx and Frans Malherbe came on for Koch. Shortly after, at 52 minutes, Grant Williams took to the pitch in place of de Klerk. Ben-Jason Dixon was brought on for Roos a minute later, and Damian de Allende took over from Esterhuizen at 57 minutes. Also, at 59 minutes, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu took the field replacing Hendrikse. Afterwards, Salmaan Moerat replaced Etzebeth at the 61-minute mark, and Ntuthuko Mchunu filled in for Nche at 67 minutes. During the match, Aphelele Fassi picked up a yellow card at 29 minutes.
The Welsh side consisted of Cameron Winnett, Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan, Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake who captained the team, Kieron Assiratti, Matthew Screech, Ben Carter, Taine Plumtree, James Botham, and Aaron Wainwright. The replacements for Wales occurred as follows: Harri O’Connor substituted Assiratti at 39 minutes; Gareth Davies took over from Bevan at 57 minutes; James Ratti came on for Screech at the 60-minute mark; At 61 minutes, Kemsley Mathias replaced Thomas; Evan Lloyd filled in for Lake at 66 minutes; Eddie James took Grady’s place on the field at 70 minutes along with Jacob Beetham coming on for Costelow; Mackenzie Martin finally subbed Plumtree at the 73rd minute. During the match, Rio Dyer at 10 minutes and Aaron Wainright at 14 minutes got yellow cards. The match was overseen by referee Chris Busby from the IRFU.