Springboks end Brisbane hoodoo
MATCH REPORT: The Springboks started the Rugby Championship season on a sublime note, beating the Wallabies at Lang Park in Brisbane on Saturday.
It was an incredible performance by Rassie Erasmus’ men, who recorded a 33-7 win over Austalia.
The victory saw the Springboks end their losing streak in Brisbane which stretched back to 2013.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!!
The World Champs were forced into some late changes just minutes before the kick-off. RG Snyman struggled with a foot niggle and missed the encounter.
Snyman’s absence saw Pieter-Steph Du Toit start at lock with Ben-Jason Dixon at flank. Salmaan Moerat was on the bench as Ruan Nortje was also carrying a slight niggle.
But despite the disruption, the Springboks were still clinical. They outscored the Wallabies five tries to one.
There were loads of green and gold jerseys spotted in the crowd as the 22-year-old Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu got the match underway.
The Springbok showed great innovation from the start as Cheslin Kolbe shadowed as scrumhalf and fed the first scrum, while the No.9 Cobus Reinach took a position in the backline.
The World Champs piled on the pressure and had a chance to take an early lead. However, Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s attempt was far off target.
The Boks produced yet another clever piece of play. From a double jumper system, Ben-Jason Dixon collected the line-out and popped it to Eben Etzbeth before a driving maul saw captain Siya Kolisi score the first try. Feinberg-Mngomezulu added the extras from the touchline for the 7-0 lead.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu made an incredible break just short of the quarter mark and Boks looked sure to score when they recycled the ball. However, a good defensive read by Andrew Kellaway saw Boks miss their chance.
Australia managed to get their hands on the ball but they were far from a threat.
Instead, it was the visitors who extended their lead when Pieter-Steph du Toit dived over the line thanks to a strong run.
Malcolm Marx entered the field in the 27th minute after Bongi Mbonambi left the field early.
The hosts went down to 14 men when Kellaway was yellow-carded for a lifting tackle on Reinach. who landed on his head.
Fortunately for Joe Schmidt’s men, the yellow card was not upgraded to the red.
Minutes later wing Kurt-Lee Arendse showed his amazing footwork as he stepped a couple of defenders before strolling to the tryline.
The Wallabies had a late surge and they had possession inside the Springboks’ 22, but a knock-on nullified all their efforts and Rassie Erasmus’ men took a 21-0 lead at the break.
The Wallabies faced a mammoth task. They returned for the second stanza with intent and enjoyed a little bit more possession.
They were slightly more direct and pressed the South African line through Dylan Pietsch and Rob Valetini.
But every attack was met by a green wall that proved impenetrable.
A few minutes later, the Springboks slowly worked their way back down the field and replacement Kwagga Smith crashed over to extend the lead.
Arendse followed him over two minutes later.
It was a dramatic conclusion as the Springboks went down to 13 men.
Yellow cards for Malcolm Marx )high tackle) and Marco van Staden (repeated infringements) opened the game up for the Wallabies late on.
With space in the defensive line, Hunter Paisami dived over untouched for a consolation try on a tough outing for the Wallabies.
Man of the match: There were a lot of contenders in the Green and Gold jersey. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shook off his early penalty miss and produced a solid show. Ben-Jason Dixon was also a vital figure, working extremely hard in the pack. Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Eben Etzebeth provided the physicality in the second row. While Kurt-Lee Arendse also deserves a mention for his lethal attack. However, our nod goes to star-wing Cheslin Kolbe. The wing was everywhere, not only did he feed the first scrum, but he also made a drop goal attempt and was a line-out thrower. He instigated a lot of the Springboks’ attack and alleviated the pressure from Feinberg-Mngomezulu with his kicking.
The scorers:
For Australia:
Try: Paisami
Con: Lynagh
For South Africa:
Tries: Kolisi, Du Toit, Arendse 2 , Smith
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 4
Yellow cards: Andre Kellaway (Australia, 30 – dangerous tackle). Malcolm Marx (South Africa, 67 – high tackle). Marco van Staden (South Africa, 71 – repeated infirngements) , Jesse Kriel (South Africa, 78 – deliebrate knock on).
Teams:
Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Andrew Kellaway, 13 Len Ikitau, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 Noah Lolesio, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa (captain), 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Isaac Kailea.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 James Slipper, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Tate McDermott, 22 Tom Lynagh, 23 Dylan Pietsch.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph Du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat , 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handré Pollard.
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Paul Williams (New Zealand) and Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
