The luck of the Irish was not on the Springboks’ side this past Saturday, however, the boys in green and gold will be hoping to set the record straight this coming weekend against Portugal.
Some rivals may say that South Africa was given a taste of their own medicine, yet that estimation couldn’t be further from the truth.
Although Ireland were draped in green and snatched a last-grasp 1-point victory via an enigmatic fly-half, who was backed by a cohesive defensive unit and a slew of solid set play routines, this is where their resemblance to the Bokke ends.
On Saturday, the Springboks were like a blade in desperate need of sharpening, dull and lacking any sort of edge. Their display in Durban did not resemble their trio of victories at last year’s World Cup, where their combined winning margin in the knockout phases was a mammoth three points.
In France, the Springboks were laser-focused, controlling each game with and without possession of the ball.
Patiently lying in wait, to strike at the heart of their opposition. The Boks waited for the opportune moment to inflict the most amount of damage.
Their World Cup campaign was played on a knife’s edge, but Saturday’s performance was lethargic and failed to meet the intensity of the Shamrocks.
Andy Farrell’s side arrived at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park hoping to wash away the sting of defeat, and from the off they seemed more motivated, and more engaged.
South Africa had a poor first half, their worst in some time. Injuries and stoppages derailed any sense of momentum for the Boks.
Rassie’s words of passion seemed to have awoken the boys momentarily, as they quickly erased the 16-6 deficit.
The sixty-minute mark had not yet been crossed when Handrè Pollard slotted home a penalty for the lead.
The Irish sensed their opportunity to win on the Bokke’s home soil was slipping away and thus responded in turn.
Jack Crowley retook the lead before it shifted back our way courtesy of two Pollard penalties.
What followed was an outrageous drop-girl with nine minutes to go, then heartbreak, as Crowley converted another at the death.
Ireland were rightfully victorious by a nail-biting score of 25–24, but, if we don’t bring our A-game against the world’s second-ranked team, then this was to be expected.
The match felt like a true epilogue to last year’s World Cup, with this weekend’s test against Portugal feeling like a fresh start for Rassie and the boys, evidenced by the great number of changes announced this afternoon.
They say we can learn more from defeat than victory, so as Springbok fans should savour this moment, it doesn’t come around too often.
The Springboks team to face Portugal:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
14 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier)
8 – Evan Roos (DHL Stormers)
7 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers)
6 – Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
5 – RG Snyman (Leinster)
4 – Salmaan Moerat (captain, DHL Stormers)
3 – Thomas du Toit (Bath)
2 – Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls)
1 – Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls)
Replacements:
16 – Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers)
17 – Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
18 – Trevor Nyakane (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
19 – Ruan Venter (Emirates Lions)
20 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls)
21 – Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions)
22 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers)
23 – Quan Horn (Emirates Lions)
