Springboks selection winners and losers from the victory over Wales as Rassie Erasmus left with a back-three headache
Springbok wing Edwill van der Merwe and fly-half Jordan Hendrikse.
Following the Springboks’ victory over Wales at Twickenham, we pick out the South African winners and losers with a view to the Ireland series.
Rassie Erasmus’ side were overwhelming favourites ahead of the fixture, and while they claimed a convincing 41-13 win, there will have been a feeling that they left a lot of points out there against Warren Gatland’s men.
Still, it’s a first win back in charge for Erasmus and an important 80 minutes for so many stars who need game time ahead of the hotly anticipated two Tests against Ireland.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the action.
Winners
Edwill van der Merwe
Van der Merwe was simply sensational in every facet of the game on his Test debut, adding another layer of depth to the Springboks’ wing stocks.
The 28-year-old shone under the high ball and defended well, with two brilliant tackles in a matter of seconds during a period of play in the opening half, which was a real highlight of the game.
He also showed his lethal edge, ripping through the Welsh defence with a filthy step before racing away for an astonishing solo try.
With doubts over Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux for the series against Ireland, Van der Merwe has thrown his name well and truly into the mix for a start against the second-ranked team in the world.
He wasn’t initially included in the Springboks’ alignment camps and earned a call-up due to injuries and his form for the Lions, and he has made the most of his opportunity and some.
Malcolm Marx
It was not box-office, nor was it outrageously good, but it was solid and promising as Marx got a much-needed 45 minutes of rugby under his belt, having last played during the Rugby World Cup pool stages.
There was a wobble at one lineout, but overall, he was not reluctant to get stuck into Wales‘ players and pilfer over the ball, rummaging for a turnover.
For a player who hasn’t played in 286 days, Marx was excellent, which bodes well for him and the Springboks ahead of their Tests against Ireland.
Kwagga Smith
The livewire back-rower also marked his return from injury against Wales, having suffered an injury against Suntory Sungoliath in January of this year.
Unlike Marx, Smith went the full 80 minutes and showed little sign of rust with another dynamic and energetic performance in the green and gold jumper.
He was penalised more often than he usually would be, but that comes with the territory of a fetcher, and having got a full match under his belt, he will be sharper come the July internationals.
Evan Roos
The Bok number eight stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle for most of the match, something which has been a downside of his game in the past. Still, he impressed with ball in hand, making a stunning break that he almost rounded off himself.
With Jasper Wiese missing the Tests against Ireland due to a suspension, Roos got some much-needed game time at international level which will better prepare him for what is to come this year.
He put a real stamp on the position and did his hopes of starting the two Tests back in South Africa the world of good.
Ben-Jason Dixon and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Springboks shake off rust as debutant shines in convincing victory over Wales
The two new Springboks also enjoyed a fine introduction to international rugby with sturdy performances from the bench.
Dixon came off the pine and got 26 minutes in the Springbok jersey, and did exactly what he does for the Stormers: graft. There was not fuss or flash about his cameo as he simply got the job done and accurately.
Meanwhile, rising star Feinberg-Mngomezulu finally received his first Test cap showing that he is not just a flash in the pan and that the hype is justifiable.
He confidently stepped up and nailed a long-range penalty with his first shot at goal in international rugby and looked controlled and confident, bossing things from the fly-half channel. It is still early days, but it’s hard not to think that he will become a Springbok great.
Aphelele Fassi
Erasmus admitted in the post-match press conference that Fassi still needs to work on some things, but overall the full-back shone at Twickenham on Saturday.
He was rather unfortunate with his yellow card, as for the rest of the game, he was superb under the high ball, even with the threat of self-proclaimed ‘Bomb Defuser’ Liam Williams challenging him.
He also launched some promising counter-attacks and kicked well out of hand. This was his first start at full-back in the green and gold jumper, and he made the most of it.
Losers
Jordan Hendrikse
It is certainly harsh to call a debutant a loser after winning his first Test cap and doing so with a victorious side, but it was a tough day at the office for youngster Hendrikse.
Nerves certainly got the better of the playmaker, who forced far too many opportunities on attack, and more often than not, it just didn’t come off. He overcooked a kick off too, and just couldn’t influence the game as he would have liked.
There were some positives including his link up play in the build up to Makazole Mapimpi’s try and his solid defence.
Neethling Fouche
Erasmus warned that he would not be making wholesale changes to his team for the sake of it and while there were four uncapped players and a handful of single cappers against Wales, one cannot help but think a fifth would have been deserved.
Fouche has been excellent all season for the Stormers and in truth, Wales offered little in the scrums at Twickenham and weren’t tipped to pre-match either. The officiating often kept them in the battle and Fouche would have been able to comfortably deal with their threats.
Manie Libbok
We cannot blame Erasmus for having a look at his fly-half stocks with two debutants in the position against Wales but this match may have served Libbok better.
At the tail end of the URC season, the Stormers pivot looked to be lacking a bit of confidence, and a fine shift against Test opposition could have done him a world of good.
Perhaps he has earned the trust of the coaches from last year, who will back him in the series against Ireland regardless.
Ntuthuko Mchunu
Sticking with the props and it was somewhat surprising that Mchunu did not join the action with Frans Malherbe and Bongi Mbonambi in the second half. Instead, he was given the final 12 minutes after a sterling shift from Ox Nche.
The Bok coaches probably wanted to see the first-choice Sharks front-row in action in green and gold, but at that stage, they had the upper hand in the scrums. Mchunu would have enjoyed the minutes he did get, but had he come on early, he could have pressed his claim for further involvement down the line better.
Still, he had a strong shift and probably wouldn’t have let the side down had he been introduced earlier.