The Springboks got their year off to a winning start on Saturday with 46 / 10 victory over a star-studded World XV at Newlands in Cape Town.
In ice-cold conditions, close to those expected at the World Cup later this year, the Springboks outscored their visitors by 7 tries to 1 – including 3 for fullback Willie le Roux – but Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer will take the result with a pinch of salt, since most of the players in this World XV side have been on holiday for a month, and it showed.
There was some positive feedback in terms of the home team’s ability to create scoring opportunities, which bodes well for their chances in The Rugby Championship that kicks off next weekend, but they were never really given the defensive examination Meyer had hoped for, apart from a short period when they were force to defend with 13 men.
The Springboks’ inability to hold onto the ball for long periods was, however, a concern as they spent a disproportionate amount of the game in their own half.
The biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Jean de Villiers, who made his long-awaited return from injury on the hour mark before providing the pass that put Le Roux over for his hat-trick.
3 Well-taken tries saw the Springboks lead 22 / 10 at the interval with 4 more after break sealing a convincing win.
The opening minute went according to script as the World XV’s lack of organisation meant they fluffed the kick-off, but Steffon Armitage won a penalty on the deck a few phases later.
The breakdown battle was a key area of focus for Meyer and he would have been pleased when Handré Pollard was able to open the scoring from a ruck penalty.
Another area on the Springbok coach’s checklist was his new-look midfield and there again there was good news early on as Damian de Allende scored an excellent solo try after fending off Mike Harris. Pollard missed the conversion but at 8 / 0, the hosts had enjoyed an excellent start.
De Allende’s centre partner Jesse Kriel was the source of the next try as his break set up the attack that put lock Eben Etzebeth over. Kriel’s step and acceleration to break clear was a perfect example of what has been missing from the Springbok No 13 jersey for some time. Pollard’s conversion took the score to 15 / 0 at the end of the 1st quarter.
Harris pulled 3 points back for the invitational side thanks to a scrum penalty but the Springboks would soon get their 3rd try as Le Roux stretched out an arm to get the ball down on the chalk after a period of sustained pressure. Pollard’s extras took the lead to 19 points and the men in green looked hungry for more.
The World XV nabbed an opportunistic try after Warren Whiteley had stolen a lineout but Ruan Pienaar was unable to collect the slap down, allowing Craig Burden to pounce on the loose ball and slide over.
The conversion from Harris cut the gap to 12 points, which was just reward for the visitors’ endeavour and it meant they were still in touch at halftime.
It took almost 15 minutes for the 2nd half to produce any points but Bryan Habana’s brilliant offload to put Le Roux over for his 2nd try was worth the wait. From there, the floodgates opened.
Pat Lambie came on to take over at fullback in another move geared towards testing options for the World Cup and he did a very good job (Le Roux shifted to wing and Habana put on his tracksuit).
Francois Louw saw Yellow for clumsily taking out Jordan Taufua in the air at a lineout and Le Roux joined him in the bin for a shoulder charge but the South Africans were able to keep the World XV out.
2 More tries followed in the final 10 minutes as Pollard’s break on the counter attack put replacement scrumhalf Cobus Reinach away.
More individual brilliance from De Allende saw him finish off another counter attack with a well-taken chip and chase for his 2nd try. Lambie converted both tries as the Springboks finished with a flourish.
Scorers:
Springboks:
- Tries: Damian de Allende (2), Eben Etzebeth, Willie le Roux (3), Cobus Reinach (1)
- Conversions: Handré Pollard (2), Pat Lambie (2)
- Penalties: Handré Pollard (1)
World XV:
- Tries: Craig Burden (1)
- Conversions: Mike Harris (1)
- Penalties: Mike Harris (1)
Teams:
Springboks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield (Captain), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Oupa Mohoje, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jean de Villiers.
World XV: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 David Smith, 10 Mike Harris, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Bakkies Botha (Captain), 4 Ali Williams, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Gurthro Steenkamp
Replacements: 16 David Roumieu, 17 Alexandre Menini, 18 Petrus du Plessis, 19 Flip Van der Merwe, 20 Louis-Benoit Madaule, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Andrew Horrell, 23 Rudi Wulf.
Venue: DHL Newlands, Cape Town
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa), Jason Jaftha (South Africa)
TMO: Deon van Blommestein (South Africa)
Springboks tick all the right boxes:
Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer would have been a very satisfied man with the way his team romped home 46 / 10 against a mediocre World XV in their opening game of the international season at Newlands on Saturday.
While it wasn’t an official test match, and meant little in the larger scheme of things, the Boks scored 7 tries to 1 against a side that had all the talent on paper, but lacked the passion and heart in the game when it counted.
The important thing for the Springboks on the evening was that they ticked all the boxes necessary, showed composure and regained confidence after a forgettable Vodacom Super Rugby series, and at the same time allowed several injured stalwarts to make an easy return to the game.
On this front there were smiles all around, as the Springbok dominance allowed captain Jean de Villiers to make his miraculous return from injury after 8 months on the sideline with a horrific knee injury, while others such as Pat Lambie, Cobus Reinach and Schalk Burger also eased their way back into action off the bench.
But the real story of the evening was those who stood out on the field, those who would have made Meyer smile after the faith he placed in them amidst selection criticism and a long list of injuries.
Given 2 weeks of fire and brimstone that awaits the Springboks as they face the Wallabies in Brisbane next week and the All Blacks in Johannesburg the week after, the form of those on the field was always likely to be closely scrutinised with the bigger picture in mind.
Without the likes of Willem Alberts and Duane Vermeulen, as well as playmaker Fourie du Preez, Meyer’s hopes have been pinned on the next line of players who will need to guide the Springboks while the stalwarts heal from their injuries.
And here there was only joy to be had. Marcell Coetzee stood out like a colossus in the loose, making devastating tackles when needed and terrorising the opposition breakdown at will. In fact, it was hard not to see Coetzee at almost every ruck, and his workrate astounded on a night where he needed to be seen.
It was hard for anyone to overshadow the Cape darling Damian de Allende, but Coetzee shaded him just slightly, although this was hardly an occasion where a negative could be drawn in that inference.
The midfield combination of De Allende and youngster Jesse Kriel also dominated, and will have given Springbok fans much excitement for the future, with De Allende looking right at home in the No 12 jersey in Green and Gold.
It wasn’t a surprise that De Allende scored the opening try – although a lucky bounce of the ball and great pickup by Victor Matfield flummoxed the defence, with the veteran lock giving the midfielder enough width to take the outside break and run in for the try.
It was a great piece of footwork from a turnover by Kriel that showed just why he is rated so highly as he and De Allende combined along the far touchline to sweep downfield, with Eben Etzebeth arriving at the perfect time and showing a deft sidestep to rumble over for the Springboks 2nd try.
Their only blemish in the half was a stolen lineout by Warren Whiteley, which bounced awkwardly for Craig Burden to toe through and score. But in terms of the new players on the field, Whiteley may have had a quieter game than the others, but still did a mammoth amount of work in the loose.
From their dominant position the focus shifted from the scoreline to just what the Springboks would get out of this game. And in terms of this, they were rewarded in abundance.
While the workrate of Francois Louw and Victor Mafield impressed in the loose, the Springboks defence was exceptional on the night, and well organised to stop any sort of advance from their multi-national opposition.
And when they had the chance to counter, they did it in style.
A beautiful switch by Le Roux swept left and found Habana, who grabbed a perfect offload to send the fullback away for his 2ond try of the night with incredulous accuracy.
If the Springboks had a blemish, it was their discipline, with Louw being Yellow Carded as he played a man in the air, although replays showed him unsighted and made it look a bit overzealous from the referee.
De Villiers’ appearance on the field brought up so many emotions, and with so much attention focused on the Springbok captain it was a sigh of relief when he made an immediate positive contribution that led to Le Roux’s hat-trick try.
A shrewd intercept by Burger found De Villiers in open space, with the midfielder not backing himself for pace, but instead throwing a looping pass sideways into the hands of the fullback, who was all smiles as he crossed the line.
While it may not have seemed like a massive moment in the context of the game, in the bigger picture, De Villiers’ return was something special to behold. Springbok fans will now be holding thumbs he comes through Western Province’s 2 warm-up games in the next fortnight unscathed for him to move forward with his return to a full game of rugby.
Le Roux blemished his copybook by diving in front of David Romieu to tackle him without arms, forcing the replacement hooker to roll over him, and prompting referee John Lacey to reach into his pocket again. While it may have seemed harsh, it was technically correct as the tackle was both dangerous and without arms, and Le Roux should have known better.
Still, even down to 13 the World XV couldn’t break down the Springbok defence, and things only got worse for them as the Boks upped the ante with their other injured squadron getting onto the field.
Pat Lambie, looking more like a very young Bjorn Borg, showed how deadly he is on grass by unleashing a counter attack, setting up Handré Pollard through the middle, who unselfishly let Cobus Reinach run in for the try.
The coup de grace however, was left to De Allende, who took the ball off another turnover on the sideline, steamed upfield and chipped over the defence to collect and score a superb individual try for the Boks to crown the evening.
The Boks will know they outplayed a patched-up side with little motivation on the night, but will point to the boxes they ticked as what is important here. It is unlikely anyone will get carried away with the result, but the joy of the victory will go down to the fact all the injured stalwarts made a positive return, the new players contributed well and there was a strong upsurge of confidence ahead of the flight to Australia.
All in all, despite a few weeks of nail-biting, coach Heyneke Meyer would have been more than happy with what he got out of this game.
And he will know that the real tests ahead of the World Cup start this coming week across the Indian ocean.
Jean de Villiers – It was awesome to be back:
Skipper Jean de Villiers returned from a long injury lay-off as South Africa began a 5-match Rugby World Cup countdown by defeating the World XV.
Inside centre De Villiers came off the bench midway through the 2nd half to a standing ovation from the Newlands stadium crowd for his 1st game since suffering a serious knee injury in Wales 8 months ago.
“It was awesome to be back,” said the 34-year-old, who showed no ill effects of his long absence and made a break to set up the 5th of 7 Springbok tries.
“I felt fine and it was very emotional running on to the field with the crowd cheering me. It is so nice to be back.”
Heyneke Meyer happy with 1st outing:
Springbok coach, Heyneke Meyer, on Saturday expressed his satisfaction with his team’s season opening performance against a very durable World XV at DHL Newlands.
“We needed confidence from this match, so I am very happy with 7 tries to 1,” Meyer said afterwards. “However, I am not too pleased about the try we conceded, but it was a good start for us. Next week will be a different challenge though and we will be tested when we face Australia.”
The coach added he was happy with the way the team combined, considering that they last played together as a team in November last year.
“It was always going to be difficult for new combinations to settle with not much time together, but overall I think we played well. We obviously need to fix a few things, but I am very positive with our performance today.
“To be honest, I actually expected the guys to be a bit more rusty out there, but our fitness and some combinations worked out well,” added Meyer.
The coach was pleased with the way players returning from injury, such as Jean de Villiers and Cobus Reinach, came through the match.
“I was probably more nervous than Jean when he took to the field, but he soon showed how ready he was for this. The spirit he showed to get back to this level is amazing and it lifted all the guys. I am also very happy for the likes of Victor Matfield, who has showed he is on a mission to help us try and win the World Cup.”
Meyer admitted that next week’s start to The Rugby Championship may well give him the opportunity to try out some combinations.
“I am very happy with the way our back 3 and midfield played and we will use the Championship to tweak a little bit more. The guys played well, especially in this wet weather, but we all realise we will have to step-up next week. We have a long flight to Brisbane and only 2 proper training sessions before we face Australia where we will probably have to make more than 200 tackles against the Wallabies, so have to prepare very well,” explained the Springbok coach.
According to Matfield he was nervous before the match because the team worked very hard on fitness leading up to the match.
“I was worried that it was going to catch up on us as we really worked hard all week. However, the guys really played well and we are all pleased. I am very happy to see those guys, who did not play in a while, came through with no problems,” said Matfield.
The veteran lock will captain the side in the 1st 2 Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches because regular skipper Jean de Villiers will not travel Down Under. De Villiers will play a number of matches with his provincial outfit, the DHL Western Province.
De Villiers said he was pretty pleased to be back in action.
“I still have a long way to go, but it was fantastic to be part of this match. I have a long list of people to thank for this, especially my family, the Springbok and provincial medical staff and everyone who helped and supported me to get back to playing again.”
The Springboks departed for Australia on Sunday.