Springboks maintain their impeccable record against Aussies at Fortress Loftus
A jam-packed Loftus Versfeld is still one of the biggest allies for the Springboks when they face the Wallabies from Australia.
There is something in the Highveld air or perhaps on the green grass of Loftus Versfeld that does not sit well with the Australian rugby team.
This was proven again on Saturday night when Duane Vermeulen and his Springbok team scored six tries to two to beat the Australians spectacularly 43-12 in the first Rugby Championship test of the season.
It was the eighth time since 1963 that the two nations met at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria and the Wallabies have never been able to achieve a victory in this stadium.
Saturday’s test was already sold-out weeks ago and around 50100 enthusiastic Springbok fans packed the stadium by 17:00 to make this game an unforgettable experience for everyone who attended.
The 31-point margin victory has only been eclipsed twice in 93 meetings between the two teams – a 53-8 victory in Johannesburg in 2008 and a 61-22 victory, also at Loftus in 1997.
Springbok captain on the day, Duane Vermeulen, said the team was powered to victory by the 50 000-strong crowd and that he hoped the team’s send off at the end of the month against Argentina at Emirates Airline Park would be similarly inspiring.
“It was fantastic coming out seeing the support. From singing the anthem onwards and at every scrum or lineout we could hear the people. It gave us that extra energy. It’s like having a 16th man on the field – it really pushed us through,” Vermeulen remarked.
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