Silky Springboks end Brisbane curse
A late try by the Wallabies, while Malcom Marx and Marco van Staden in the sin bin, was all that stopped a historic win for the Boks.
The Springboks produced a dominant performance to claim a bonus-point win over the Wallabies and end their Brisbane hoodoo.
Kurt-Lee Arendse grabbed two tries as the Springboks shrugged off a late injury blow to cruised to a 33-7 victory in the 2024 Rugby Championship opener at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium.
Single lineout ❌
Double lineout ✅✅The Boks are over for their first try of the 2024 Rugby Championship 🏉💥
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Having lost RG Snyman before kick-off, the Springboks were forced to shuffle the pack, with Pieter-Steph du Toit moved from flank to lock, Ben-Jason Dixon promoted from the bench, while Salmaan Moerat was called up.
However, it mattered little, as the Springboks claimed just their second win at the Suncorp Stadium against the Wallabies – their first since 2013.
A late try from Hunter Paisami, when South Africa were down to 13 men with Malcolm Marx and Marco van Staden in the sin bin, was all that prevented the Boks from claiming a record win over the Wallabies in Australia.
From the get-go, it was a comprehensive and dominant performance from the Springboks, as the world champions shoved the Wallabies five metres from the first scrum of the match, winning a penalty and making a statement of intent.
Tries from Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Arendse gave the Springboks a 21-0 lead at the break and while the visitors had to do more defending in the second half, Kwagga Smith and Arendse dotted down to secure the bonus-point.
In their first starts in the green and gold, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Elrigh Louw looked assured. Feinberg-Mngomezulu warmed to his responsibilities after missing his first kick at goal – his first miss in Test rugby – and produced several line breaks.
Louw, meanwhile, put his stamp on the No 8 jersey, with some strong carries, dominant tackles and an excellent work rate across the park.
Most pleasing for the Springboks, is that they married their power game with some superb handling and decision-making, ripping the Wallabies to shreds, and arguably should have claimed a bigger margin of victory with the opportunities they created.
The Boks will move across to Perth for the second Test against the Wallabies, before returning to South Africa for a double-header against the All Blacks.
The article Silky Springboks end Brisbane curse appeared first on SA Rugby Magazine.
