Expect the Boks and visiting Portugal to serve up a dish of panache and skill in Bloemfontein

Johan Grobbelaar of the Vodacom Blue Bulls tackled shortly before the try line during the URC match between Vodacom Bulls and Munster at Loftus Versfeld on 20 April 2024 in Pretoria. (Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images)

By Craig Ray

19 Jul 2024

The Boks should beat Portugal at this weekend’s Test. A win, in and of itself, is the bare minimum expected.

How do you measure what will be an acceptable result for the Springboks in their first-ever clash with Portugal on Saturday 20 July? What metric, or combination of metrics, will determine a satisfactory outcome? The Boks should beat Portugal, so a win, in and of itself, is the bare minimum expected. Win by a massive margin and the opposition will be considered too weak. Win closely, and almost inevitably, the new-look Bok team will come under scrutiny.

Lose to the Os Lobos… Well, let’s not go there.

Read more: Moerat captaincy call highlights Boks’ shift towards younger leadership generation

The final score, performance, team composition and opposition are all in the pot, simmering nicely. But what to make of the final dish? It will probably be one of panache and skill, given the make-up of the Boks and the style of the opposition.

The Boks’ fourth match of the season could be one of the most enjoyable, based on the teams selected and what we know, from Rugby World Cup 2023, about how Portugal like to play.

The Iberians compete with tempo, built on a decent pack that held its own in France last year. Their loose forwards were superb at the World Cup, but they are missing the standout from France in openside Nicolas Martins.

Also absent from the South African tour is wing Raffaele Storti, who scored three tries at RWC 2023. In all there are only 12 survivors from their RWC 2023 campaign, which also included a draw against Georgia, in the match-day 23 to face the Boks.

But they do have elusive wing Rodrigo Marta in the lineup, who scored the famous, late try that gave Portugal a 24-23 win over Fiji, in the group stages at the World Cup.

Former France junior international Joris Moura will start at flyhalf, and experienced captain Tomás Appleton, who has played 72 internationals, is at inside centre. They Portugal team is coached by former All Black flyhalf Simon Mannix, who has coached at Munster and Biarritz.

There is no reason to suspect they will veer from their attacking mindset and style, although it may be harder to pull off if their pack is under pressure.

Rodrigo Marta of Portugal scores his team's third try during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Fiji and Portugal on 8 October 2023 in Toulouse, France. (Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Callow Boks

The Bok management will have found every available clip they could of this Portuguese team to prepare themselves properly. But even so, it is a journey into the unknown that has to be undertaken by a Bok that has vast valleys of inexperience among the jagged outcrops of experience.

Last week, in the second Test, the Boks fielded a starting team with 990 Test caps. This week that total is 228 caps, with centre Lukhanyo Am (35), wing Makazole Mapimpi (42) and scrumhalf Cobus Reinach (32) sharing 99 between them.

Lukhanyo Am of South Africa is tackled by Francisco Gómez Kodela of Argentina during the RWC 2023 warm-up between Argentina and South Africa at on 5 August 2023 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Photo: Juan Jose Gasparini/Gallo Images)

The elegant and elusive Am is back at outside centre, playing his first Test in almost a year. Decorated wings Mapimpi and Kurt-Lee Arendse offer confidence and assurance out wide.

“The past 24 months for me have had their ups and downs, in terms of injuries,” Am said. “I’m delighted to be back in the group and getting the opportunity to play again.

“There have been ups and downs, but that’s part of the game. Injuries happen. It’s just about working and getting back to where you were. Being here is a good sign that I’ve tried my best. I just can’t wait to wear the green and gold jersey again.”

The halfbacks of Reinach and Manie Libbok bring back some good memories of 2023, while the beefy Andre Esterhuizen adds security and power to the inside centre channel.

For Reinach, who has amassed 32 Test caps after attending Grey College in Bloemfontein, this will be his first Bok appearance in the city he grew up in.

Fullback Aphelele Fassi is inexperienced in terms of Test caps, but he has been around for more than five years. His performance against Wales last month was exceptional during the 41-13 win. He was as solid as the Drakensberg under the high ball.

Manie Libbok of South Africa during the Rugby World Cup 2023 quarter final between France and South Africa at Stade de France on 15 October 2023 in Paris. (Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images)

Unknown calibre on the bench

Up front and on the bench though, is where the Boks are unknown.

Debutant loosehead Jan-Hendrik Wessels is highly rated by the Bok management and will relish his opportunity. Hooker Johan Grobbelaar has been excellent for the Bulls for three seasons, and finally gets a chance in the green and gold.

Perhaps more than anyone in the pack, Grobbelaar has a chance to become a key figure in the Bok squad. Securing a quality third hooker behind Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx is essential for coach Rassie Erasmus, and Grobbelaar appears to have moved to the front of the queue to audition for that role.

On the bench, Stormers hooker Andre-Hugo Venter could make his Test debut, thus following his father, the great flank Andre Venter, to Test rugby. They will become the 16th father/son combination to play for the Springboks.

Read more: Moerat becomes 66th Test captain, set to lead new-look Boks against Portugal

Lock Salmaan Moerat has been part of the squad for three years and only missed RWC 2023 through injury. He has the honour of captaining the side for the first time, making him the 66th Boks Test captain. It’s also a nod to the need to grow the formal leadership of the team.

RG Snyman, starting in the second row alongside Moerat, is almost unbelievable, making only his second Test start in five years. Snyman started last August, in a World Cup warm-up against Wales in Cardiff. You’ll have to go back to RWC 2019 against Canada for the previous time he started.

Tighthead Thomas du Toit plays his first Test in nearly a year, coming off a great season with Bath, while flank Ben-Jason Dixon makes his first Test start after making his debut against Wales. Fellow back-rower Phepsi Buthelezi is on debut.

Brown’s work on display

More of the work of attack coach Tony Brown, especially with players such as Libbok and Am in the background, should be revealed this weekend.

Considering the Boks’ promising attacking approach in the first Test against Ireland (which they won 27-20) at Loftus, it’s almost certain they will look to use the clash with Portugal to build on those layers.

Fassi will be key in coming into the line, while Libbok’s vision and ball-playing skill could be an eye-catching feature of this meeting.

Portugal haven’t come to roll over though. They are a good team, they are growing, and they will feast off mistakes, play with aggression and panache.

It should be a rugby feast. DM

Springboks

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Phepsi Buthelezi, 5 RG Snyman, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels

Reserves: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Trevor Nyakane, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23 Quan Horn.

Portugal

15 Simao Bento, 14 Manuel Cardoso Pinto, 13 Jose Lima, 12 Tomás Appleton (captain), 11 Rodrigo Marta, 10 Joris Moura, 9 Hugo Camacho, 8 Vasco Batista, 7 Diego Pinheiro, 6 José Madeira, 5 Duarte Torgal, 4 Nicolas Fernandes, 3 Diogo Hasse Ferreira, 2 Luka Begic, 1 Francisco Fernandes.

Reserves: 16 David Costa, 17 Pedro Vicente, 18 Abel Cunha, 19 Antonio Andrade, 20 Andre Cunha, 21 Pedro Lucas, 22 Domingos Cabral, 23 Jose Santos.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)

Kick-off: 5pm (Supersport)

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South Africa

Callow Boks

Unknown calibre on the bench

Brown’s work on display

Springboks

Portugal