South Africa recorded a solid win at Twickenham this past weekend, as they handed Wales a 41-13 defeat to commence their Summer Series campaign. The Springboks now head back home, before Andy Farrell’s Ireland make the trip down to the Southern Hemisphere for a two match series with the Boks next month.
It was an interesting performance by the Springboks, as a fast start saw Jesse Kriel cross over after just four minutes, before a penalty try doubled their lead. However, South Africa soon took their foot off the gas, as Wales battled back through Dewi Lake’s try and the place kicking of Sam Costelow. Wales trailed by just one point at half time, with the score-line poised at 14-13.
The second half saw South Africa run away with proceedings, as a stunning performance from Player of the Match Edwill van der Merwe contributed to the second half landslide. Three unanswered tries saw Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi and van der Merwe all cross over to score, with the accurate boots of Jordan Henrikse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu building the considerable points tally.
After the match, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus, and his captain for the match Pieter-Steph du Toit spoke with the reporting media. There was plenty to discuss following an unorthodox win for the Boks, with the challenge of Ireland coming in over the horizon. Here are the top five talking points from Erasmus and du Toit’s post match press conference.
1. Pieter-Steph du Toit Enjoyed the Opportunity to Captain the Springboks
Back-row bruiser Pieter-Steph du Toit was awarded the captaincy for the fixture against Wales, and had a solid performance in his leading of the Springboks. Du Toit took the role as Siya Kolisi watched on from the side-lines, with the regular captain ineligible for selection given his club commitments to Racing 92.
PIETER-STEPH DU TOIT: “Yeah, it’s awesome playing here in London. You know, you click in and pull the fans here. So, again, getting the opportunity to be captain against Wales, my debut (was) against them, second test match I captained against them. So, it’s special to me. I’ve got a special bond with them.
“It’s a bit special (as captain). You feel a bit different, you don’t know what you’re feeling. The team’s feeling it, you have to take it into consideration. You have to speak to yourself. You have to speak to the team. So, I learned a lot about this game as well.”
2. Springboks’ selection was impacted by URC Final and Malcolm Marx returned
There was a strong contingent of Springboks unavailable for selection, as the United Rugby Championship Final clashed with the test match against Wales. The Vodacom Bulls hosted Glasgow Warriors in Pretoria for the Grand Final, yet were defeated 21-16 by the Scottish side.
Despite the unavailable Bulls players, Rassie Erasmus welcomed Malcolm Marx back to the Springboks squad, after the hooker’s Rugby World Cup campaign was cut short after the first pool match. Marx suffered a severe knee ligament injury, and was out of action for the Kubota Spears for the majority of the 2023/24 Japan Rugby League One season.
RASSIE ERASMUS: “It’s beneficial in terms of getting games down, to guys like Malcolm. He has not been playing, Malcolm, for nine months (with the Springboks).”
“We definitely tried a few things, but we just tried to have a solid back-up team because we had to know each other. And with Malcolm being out for so long, trying to find the rhythm, and not having much of a place in the substitutions. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but I had a lot of support from the substitutes there. I think that’s a big part.
“So all in all, you know, the weather is good and it’s nice to win and entertain. But we needed strong opposition and play away from home and be under a little bit of pressure. And I think this one is going to give us a lot.”