Hits & Misses: Consistent BlitzBoks and SFM going offline

OPINION: While the United Rugby Championship quarterfinals were being contested in Glasgow, Pretoria, Cape Town, and Dublin, the second leg of the SVNS World Championship went down in Valladolid.

The Bulls and the Stormers clipped their tickets to the semifinals after overcoming Munster and Cardiff, respectively, while the BlitzBoks went down to Australia in the Final in Spain.

*Also read:
Ackermann: Bulls must beat the best to become champions
Dobson flags major Stormers concern ahead of URC semis

We look at the highs and lows from the weekend’s rugby action involving South African teams.

Hits:

Papier 2, Munster 0

Sizzling scrumhalf Embrose Papier scored two tries and produced a man-of-the-match performance against Munster in Round 13 at Loftus, and at the weekend, he did exactly the same at the same venue as the Bulls thumped Munster 45-14.

While Papier put in a superb shift in his try-scoring side job, he also aced his primary job as he delivered top box kicks and characteristically fast service. He was also a pesky problem on attack for the Irish throughout the match.

The Bulls No.9 opened the scoring after another monster of a scrum by his pack as he latched onto a neat offload off the ground from Cameron Hanekom before shrugging off a tackler and darting to the try line he knows so well.

That was impressive, but it was his second try that took the game completely out of Munster’s reach.

For Munster to get back into it, however unrealistic and unlikely it may have been, would have required two converted tries and a penalty kick.

Papier caught everybody off guard, including his teammates, when he picked up the ball in the 22 and blazed a 70-metre trail for his brace to take the score to 38-14.

Trying to catch him was as pointless as trying to figure out what the visitors needed to do to get back into the match. It was undoubtedly over after Papier grabbed his 11th URC try of the season.

Damian Willemse’s Influence

There was panic all round in the Stormers’ camp when Damian Willemse and Leolin Zas collided during training on Wednesday, with both players having to leave the field.

John Dobson said he feared the worst when he saw the clash but, luckily for the Stormers, the pair were cleared for their last-eight challenge, which the Stormers won 44-21.

The backline duo combined for a stunner against Cardiff, with Willemse brilliantly drawing in two defenders before sending Zas to the try line with a perfectly timed offload.

The Springbok’s performance was rich in composure, excellent high takes, and fine attacking touches, while he also did well to keep the Stormers going after Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu left the field with an injury in the second half against a Cardiff team that just wouldn’t go down.

It’s often easy to overlook everything Willemse brings thanks to his experienced-stalwart status with the Stormers, especially when it’s the brilliance of younger players that is often zoomed in on. But on Saturday, he sent out a reminder of just how vital he is to the success of this Stormers side.

BlitzBoks’ Valladolid Step

The BlitzBoks went into the Valladolid event looking to go back-to-back after claiming the first leg of the World Championship with a historic victory in Hong Kong, but it wasn’t to be as Australia took the podium spot after beating the South Africans 26-19 in the Final.

The Springbok Sevens side soared into their sixth straight Cup Final after overcoming a relentless defensive effort by Argentina in the semifinals, and while they looked set to go into extra time after a try at the death levelled the scores.

The try was disallowed, with Australia going on to pull off their first double since 2018 by winning the men’s and women’s Finals in Spain.

The BlitzBoks bagged 20 points after winning the Final in Hong Kong and claimed 18 points for their runner-up finish at the second of three World Championship events.

With Philip Snyman’s team still leading the standings after two events, they are well placed to win their second consecutive SVNS World Championship should they manage to make the Final in the third and final event in Bordeaux on the weekend of June 5-7.

The weekend may not have ended exactly how they would have wanted, but they secured vital points after overcoming a challenging pool stage, and that alone puts them in a strong position.

Continues below…

Misses:

Clarkson’s “Rather Unconventional Tackle”

Not sure what was more infuriating, Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson’s piledriver on Lions scrumhalf Nico Steyn, or the levity with which the commentators spoke of his dangerous act, especially as his recklessness could have ended badly for Steyn.

Clarkson was sin-binned in the 35th minute after lifting Steyn off the ground and flipping him on his head, and following the bunker review, Clarkson’s yellow card wasn’t upgraded to a red.

The “tackle” was just foolish. He probably forgot he was in a rugby stadium and not a ring.

The End of the Lions’ Season

The Lions’ historic season was ended by a 59-10 rout by Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, with the Lions only scoring two tries by Henco van Wyk – one shortly after Clarkson’s yellow card – while Leinster ran in nine.

The Lions aren’t featured under the “Misses” in this piece because they lost against a wounded and desperate Leinster outfit at home, but because their season ended when all of South Africa – and possibly a good few neutral lovers of beautiful rugby abroad – would desperately have wanted to see them progress.

The Lions consistently overcame the odds to qualify for their first-ever URC quarterfinal, and they have nothing to feel but pride after bowing out of the play-offs.

It’s exciting to think of what this group of players can do in future.

Sacha’s Bleak Picture

The Springbok and Stormers superstar is unlikely to feature in the Stormers’ semifinal against Leinster, with Dobson describing the 24-year-old’s ankle injury as “pretty serious” after the match.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu limped off the field after scoring a try, and a lengthy layoff would, of course, have massive repercussions for both the Stormers and the Springboks; there couldn’t have been a worse casualty for either team.