Saturday’s 24-8 victory against the Wallabies in Sydney broke the Springboks’ losing skid of 11 games in Australia.
There was no lack of drama and intrigue, as Mike Greenaway examines five noteworthy topics from a renowned Springbok victory.
Mbombela was reviewed
The last time we saw the Boks begin a match with this kind of energy was in round one of the Rugby Championship at the Mbombela Stadium, when they defeated the All Blacks. A week later in Ellis Park, their intensity was no longer at that level, and it had entirely evaporated in Adelaide. It is the great mystery that plagues the Boks — they just can’t seem to keep the throttle wide open throughout a season and have to sort out this inconsistency before the World Cup next year.
Kolisi directed the effort
Siya Kolisi was named South Africa’s Player of the Year in 2021 due mostly to his inspiring efforts in the second and third Tests against the Lions. I believe he was even better in this game, but the issue is that his performance stands out so much since he was inconspicuous the previous week. In Sydney, he was just superb, even earning turnovers at the breakdown, which is not typically his style, and his diving throw from the touchline to keep a movement alive was a remarkable moment.
“I’m so proud of how we stood up as a team; we understood what we had to do!”
Siya Kolisi had a MASSIVE effort tonight; this is what he had to say about the victory. pic.twitter.com/nTiXED1ont
— SuperSport on Twitter (@SuperSportTV) on September 3, 2022
Moodie magic
Jake White said last week that he expected Canan Moodie to play 100 Tests for South Africa, and we have now seen why the 19-year-old is so highly regarded and why Jacques Nienaber rushed him into the Boks camp. Two years ago, Moodie was still in school; yet, he just defeated Marika Koroibete in the air to score in his debut. The No 14 jersey has been a touch cursed this year, with Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-lee Arendse currently indisposed, but Moodie has come to the rescue.
Wallabies painted white
Nigel Owens, a renowned Welsh referee, said on Friday that he would have cautioned Nic White for his antics in Adelaide. Faf de Klerk’s subsequent sin-bining wasn’t the only reason the Boks lost that game, but it certainly helped motivate them a week later. Readers of lips would have flushed at the Bok verbal assault on White… Perhaps the Boks should hang a photo of the Brumbies scrumhalf in their locker room before each game, given their frustrating inability to consistently play at a high intensity.
19-YEAR-OLD CANAN MOODIE ON DEBUT 👏!
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— SuperSport on Twitter (@SuperSportTV) on September 3, 2022
The ball should do the job.
The Boks were extremely dominating in the first half, as the Australians did not enter the Boks’ 22 until the 30th minute, although they trailed just 10-3 at halftime. The Springboks failed to convert exquisite front-foot ball into points. Why the Bok backs opt to punt the ball when they have a four-on-two overlap is beyond me. Why not send the ball through the hands and allow the wing to go towards the goal line?
They really did it right after halftime, and Franco Mostert scored the nicest of tries. Please, more of the same!