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Businesslike Boks dust off the rust to batter Wales in London with comfortable win

Businesslike Boks dust off the rust to batter Wales in London with comfortable win
Makazole Mapimpi on his way to scoring the Boks' third try, just minutes into the second half. (Photo: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)
Craig Ray
By Craig Ray
22 Jun 2024
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A mix-and-match Springbok team playing their first Test in eight months since winning Rugby World Cup 2023 delivered a businesslike performance to comfortably down Wales. But the world champions never really got out of third gear.

South Africa 41 (14) Wales 13 (13)


Five tries, a dominant scrum, solid defence and some eye-catching performances from wing Edwill van der Merwe, fullback Aphelele Fassi and flank Kwagga Smith provided the narrative to the story.

In other areas — the lineout in particular, and also in terms of discipline in the first half — the Boks were less impressive.

But as season-opening encounters go, after such a long time between Tests, with four new caps and many Japan-based players who haven’t had a decent game in weeks, it was acceptable. 

The Boks have now won 14 of their last 16 Tests, and with the blockbuster two-Test series against Ireland looming in a fortnight, it was a necessary building block for that assignment.

Coach Rassie Erasmus will be able to find lots of “work-ons” (as coaches love to say) when he does his post-match analysis, yet he will also take some satisfaction from the afternoon.

Van der Merwe capped his strong display with a fine solo try late in the game, stepping through two defenders and then bursting away for the score. Earlier in the match he made a sensational double tackle in the space of two seconds.

Debutant wing Edwil van der Merwe had a fine game, which he capped off with a superb solo try. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)


Monumental 


Fassi was monumental under the high ball, fielding more than a dozen kicks aimed in his vicinity. The only blotch, and it was not Fassi’s fault, was that he was yellow-carded after taking one such ball, when his foot caught Wales flank Taine Plumtree in the shoulder.

Read more in Daily Maverick: World champion Boks must embrace favourites tag to reach new level in 2024 

Fassi stretched out his foot to retain his balance and Plumtree ran into it. It was just one of several curious decisions by overzealous officials, which saw the match run just more than 100 minutes.

Smith was brilliant in carrying the ball over the advantage line, especially as several illustrious colleagues such as captain Pieter-Steph du Toit, lock Eben Etzebeth and the returning Malcolm Marx had almost anonymous afternoons. 

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi came off the bench to score a familiar try from the back of a rolling maul against Wales at Twickenham. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images)


Early dominance


The Boks should have been out of sight by halftime, but a combination of their own sloppiness and ill-discipline, a lift in Welsh intensity on the back of some curious refereeing calls, shifted the momentum.

It was all the Springboks for the first 25 minutes as they ran into a 14-3 lead. The pack dominated the scrums and the Boks were superior at the breakdown.

Wales suffered two yellow cards in this period to add to their problems. Wing Rio Dyer was sin-binned in the 12th minute for being offside close to his line and stopping a try. Fair enough. But if referee Chris Busby deemed it a professional foul, stopping a try on the line, then it follows that the Boks should have been awarded a penalty try. Busby didn’t.

That card was the result of a great burst by No 8 Evan Roos from a neat Faf de Klerk pass that put him into space to maraud 40 metres towards the Welsh line.

Minutes later, the Boks were mauling to the Welsh line and it was stopped illegally. No 8 Aaron Wainwright was sin-binned and a penalty try awarded. It underlined, in a matter of minutes, the inconsistency of the officiating. 

Earlier the Boks scored a beautiful opening try through centre Jesse Kriel. It was a lovely backline move and some fine interplay between Kriel and wing Makazole Mapimpi. 

Things were going well for the Boks and it looked as if a hefty score was coming despite some little warning signs.

Bok fullback Alphelele Fassi was a towering presence under the high ball. (Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images)


Basic errors


A willingness to move the ball wide seemed to be the early instruction, but it was disjointed. New flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse was obviously picked to deliver some x-factor, but he was inaccurate and made several basic errors.

He also missed an early, straightforward kick at goal, to add to his misery. He grew into the game through, and after the break looked more composed. In the end he landed four out of five kicks at goal for a personal haul of 10 points. 

Hendrikse’s replacement, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, looked sharp when he came on with 25 minutes remaining.

Predictable 


Wales’ primary attacking weapon was to bombard fullback Fassi, who handled the aerial assault comfortably and with great skill. Wales were woefully predictable and considering Fassi’s towering performance under the high ball, Wales’ decision to continue to kick on him, bordered on madness. 

Fassi’s yellow card, on the half hour, led to Wales’ only try from a lineout inside the Bok 22. Hooker Dewi Lake burst away to bring his side to within a score of the lead. 

Flyhalf Sam Costelow then landed a second penalty and suddenly, just before halftime, there was only one point in it.

Makazole Mapimpi on his way to scoring the Boks' third try, just minutes into the second half. (Photo: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)


Hard words 


Erasmus would certainly have had some hard words at halftime. There was an immediate lift in intensity after the break and a neat backline move put Mapimpi away for a try barely four minutes into the second stanza. 

That was a gut punch for Wales and although they stayed in the fight for much of the half, Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored his first points in Test rugby with a 67th minute penalty.

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi, on for Marx, scored a familiar try from the base of the rolling maul as the penalty count against Wales mounted under Bok pressure. That score, the Boks’ fourth try, ended the match as a contest.

All that was left was for Van der Merwe to sprinkle some brilliance in the dashing London sunshine with his wonderful solo effort. DM 

Scorers:


South Africa — Tries: Jesse Kriel, penalty try, Makazole Mapimpi, Bongi Mbonambi, Edwill van der Merwe. Conversions: Jordan Hendrikse (2), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalties: Hendrikse, Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Wales — Try: Dewi Lake. Conversion: Sam Costelow. Penalties: Costelow (2).

 

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