You would be forgiven if after the first 25 minutes at Johannesburg you thought the Test match between South Africa and England was done and dusted, with the tourists up 24-3.
The momentum was such that every bounce of the ball, every unnecessary error possible went England’s way.
But then the tide turned.
The Springboks struck back with four tries in the next quarter, with Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux and S’busiso Nkosi’s two scores seeing the home team go into halftime with a lead of 29-27.
Suddenly, this inexperienced Bok team started to look confident.
The second half was more like traditional Test match rugby. At 50 minutes, Handre Pollard landed a penalty, edging South Africa further ahead, and but for two missed penalties, they could have stretched the gap from five to 11.
Then, in the 60th minute, Mako Vunipola was carded for a late shoulder hit on Faf de Klerk and South Africa obliged with a try, stretching the lead to 12 points.
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During the yellow card period, England struck back with a try of their own and the deficit was restored.
In the end, South Africa held on for a crucial victory – it would have been disastrous for Rassie Erasmus’ men to lose successive Tests at the beginning of his tenure.
There weren’t any really poor performances, however defence is something Erasmus will need to focus on. From the opening minute, it was clear the back line didn’t know each other well and the defensive combinations and structures weren’t working.
Out wide, England found oodles of space and the hesitation in the SA midfield defence meant that the backline defence shifted in, only to provide the necessary space out wide.
There were also some poorly executed tackles – Pollard, in particular, was disappointing, his tackling technique was to go very low and that meant he was largely ineffectual.
The Springboks showed a willingness to retain posession and there were some silky skills on show, but then there were also some horribly risky passes and offloads as well.
Dwayne Vermeulen, RG Snyman, Faf de Klerk, Willie le Roux and S’busiso Nkosi were the standouts, but credit should go to Siya Kolisi and his senior players, who managed to keep the team calm and keep believnig in their processes.
It is too early to tell whether this Bok team will be consistently successful, but it delivers in spades the belief that Rassie is transforming Springbok rugby into a team for all people of South Africa, a team that looks to be more flashy in attack and knows how to score points.
All they need now is attitude in defence and to grow – the longer Erasmus can stick to a core selection, the better the combinations will function.
What I loved about the 50,000-plus crowd in Johannesburg was the diversity, celebrating their first black Springbok captain’s win.
Bright rainbow
Guest
Corne thanks for the article, the Boks have enough talent overseas to bolster and transform if done wisely. 9 is now a certainty he is more a complete player than he was. 13 is still a concern. Bring back an overseas guy and see how the wings shine, remember they are green at this level. DDA is not at the level required. Bring back Paul Jordaan.
Jake
Guest
I would like to see Whitley and Paul Jordaan come on to speed it up...what a power bench PJ can cover 12 and 13. The young wings will benefit from him especially defensively. But also on his pace and offload it would be champagne rugby.. fast as... Then for the rwc Marcel Coetzee, Bismark and Frans Steyn that is some power. Fran must start. RG to alternate with Eben or together.. so many combo's at lock.. You still need to find depth at 9..DDA is not at this level and will never be what the boks want, he seems brain dead. And Thor wow what a player. Good days are coming for the boks if they can get these guys in the mix... The old heads are needed come rwc time and then Rassie can take a settled team to the next one..
IvanN
Guest
Kitshoff,Marx,Malherbe,Eben,RG,Siya,PSDT,Duane - 938kg 4-8 avg height 1.98m I would use Whiteley to speed up a game in the final 20, not as a starter. Id also have given esterhuizen a run this week - he did well against wales and damien hasnt really ha his usual impact. with the additional incentive of him knowing Am well.
Totally agree Ulrich, I expect and hope Rassie has a six year plan, building an experienced and transformed team by 2023, lets win it then
Ulrich
Guest
I don't know yet how good Rassie is or is not. It seems he is infinitely better than AC, but I think even if he were the best coach in the world it would be going against the grain if SA somehow managed to win the RWC next year. I just don't think we will have enough experience come that time. In front row we have beast. Marx is getting there with experience and Kitshoff too. Other than that we're thin on caps there. In the second row we are good. In the back row we should be okay. 9, apart from Faf (who may not even be fit for the tournament) we have no one. 10 we have Pollard and perhaps Lambie. 11 - Barely any experience 12 - Serfontein, Frans, DDA (enough experience at least) 13 - Kriel and then? 14 - Barely any experience 15 - Apart from Willie barely any experience. Then we still need a bench. I think we could reach the semis or even maybe the final but I honestly do not think we'll win against a 700-900 cap ENG, NZ or IRE or even AUS. We should aim to win the thing but be realistic and also look to build for the B&I Lions two years thereafter. I think by then we'll have a great squad if initial impressions continue that is.
Ulrich
Guest
To give some perspective: -> First loss on home soil to IRE - to a 14 man and depleted Irish team too. -> First away loss to ARG -> First loss to Italy -> Two 50 point drubbings against the All Blacks -> Most points conceded against IRE ever in 111 years. -> 10 Year (or something to that effect) winning streak broken against England - can sort of be forgiven for that as the English were good the last few seasons. -> Continued losses to Wales. -> Draw against World XV -> Raymond Rhule -> Inability of our players to catch a hoisted ball. -> Directionless play ALL the time bar the French series when Serfontein found some form on the back of our forwards bettering the tired French. -> Worst ever year in Springbok history 4 from 12. -> Largest margin of defeat 57 - 0 (ZERO) Yet, there were "positives" from all these games. Players and fellow coaches were blamed when the heat came AC's way. Rassie loses by 2 points to Wales with both teams having experimental line-ups on neutral ground. He does not complain, does not say there were positives. Merely acknowledges that the loss hurt.
ThugbyFan
Guest
Corne, you're dead right there! Andre Esterhuizen is a beast at inside centre (Shorks???), mind you D. de Allende is no slouch also but would I be incorrect in saying he is a mite inconsistent. And tbs the wide defence will improve with more games together. That SA ginger hair prop at the end (Klitsoff?) was unreal. All three of the SH big-uns are agog with a new prop coming through. SA with Klits, AB with their massive baldie Karl Tuinukuafe and the WB with Tongan Thor. These boys are just getting larger and larger. Rugby will end up like grid-iron, endless advertising and "medical recuperation" breaks while the behemoths snort into the oxygen tanks. :)
Just Nuisance
Guest
Still too early to say but so far I am positive.
taylorman
Roar Guru
Yes so many northern players reputed to be considered as best in their positions have all fallen flat this series so far. Connor Murray, Billy V, Maro...all outplayed by their opposites.
Carlos the Argie
Guest
Absolutely! You can ask Harry how many times I commented about Bakkies Botha thuggery. And I am sure you remember how many times I complained about Lavanini. I even joked, with Harry, to select a team based on thuggery.
The Neutral View From Sweden
Roar Guru
Rassie sucked up his mistakes after the loss to Wales also.
Cheers thugby, lets hope it is a sign of things to come. I caution myself not to get too excited though, Am, Nkiosi and Dyantyi are still very inexperienced and I think the back line defensive organisation has some ways to go. I think Esterhuizen should partner Am in the nidfield and if Erasmus can consistently select de Klerk, Pollard (his tackling technique needs some serious work) , Esterhuizen, Am, Dyantyi, Nkosi and Willie then the back line may gel enough by the time the RWC comes along. The forward pack has lots of options for selection, Rassie has a lot of thinking to do how he combines strengths and weaknesses of the back row, second row and front row. Interesting times ahead.
All I remember are the numerous capitulations
ThugbyFan
Guest
"Any side who can make Mike Brown look like Jonah Lomu is a worry,..." Another GP classic, Love it! LoL
ThugbyFan
Guest
G'day Corne and congrats to your Bokkes for the great comeback win. Your 1st couple of paragraphs are dead right, I almost choked on my beer watching the terrible defending and massive holes being left by the SA outside backs. I don't think England could believe their eyes and gladly took the invitations. I imagine some harsh words were said by the SA leadership boys under the goalpost as bighead OF converted his own try. After that their defence was pretty good and man oh man, what speed in the backs. The new winger S.Okosi has lots of it and pretty massive thighs too, I don't think I would like to tackle him in full flight. A shame they let England in with a couple of tries near the end. Five tries each was an unfair indication of who was the better side. And even better, three NH top guns bit the dust against SANZAAR teams. Need to get NoBrain and the Cycling Argie in US to kick their boys up the Khyber Pass, the Pumas let their fellow Southerners down against the Welsh wizards. Makes for a really interesting Rugby Championships with AB, WB and SA all showing good rugby. Bring back Marx and EE and the Bokkes look scary. I think Pumas have to play like Los Jaguares though.
Harry Jones
Expert
Yes, the "jury is still out" on Maro (and jeez, on Snyman, too). Let's see these young pups do it like Brodie, Eben, AWJ, Whitelock, Lood, Launchbury, for a while, year in and year out, post-injury, after setbacks, and adding skills before crowning them as kings. Definitely a lot of promise and talent. But rugby is a long game.
Fionn
Guest
Ralph - ??? Cuw- you've got the question marks and the backs...
Neil Back
Roar Rookie
Honestly don't think people have given him any more wraps than he's deserved. People forget he's still only 23 and exploded on the scene to deserved praise with performances and a CV to back it up. Of late he's failed to live up to that start, and I don't see anyone denying that - but I see plenty of people falling over themselves to rubbish him and almost always those usual suspects with an anti-English anything agenda. Ho hum. Such a shame he didn't come along with Johnson still in his prime to take him under his wing. That would have been a scholarship and locking pair rarely enjoyed. Far too early to be calling him a great. And far too early to decide he won't be.
Sean
Guest
Doesn't it remind one of the 1998 Tri-Nations game in Durban when we were 5-23 down vs the All Blacks with like 15 minutes of the game left and we done it. This certainly rates up there with best comebacks in Springbok folklore...Friend of mine said only NZ would manage something like this,but then again I doubt NZ would've been that far behind ? Glad for Faf,he had an incredible game.But to me far more exciting was seeing the old Thor back to his best when some folks wrote him off.Made Billy Vunipola look anything but threatening...Bongi had a good game too,didn't missed any of his libe-out jumpers...unusual to say the least?.Must be cause he wasn't influenced by Fleckie's toxins at the Stormers this season cause he was out injured most of the time,so glad for that ?
Nicholas Bishop
Expert
The irony is that Nick Isiekwe, who was hauled off after half an hour, had played nearly all his rugby at 6 for Saracens this year in any case, so it was very hard to see where the benefit of bringing on Brad Shields in the second row was going to accrue!