Springboks v Barbarians: Five takeaways as ‘impressive’ youngster looks ‘destined’ to have long Test career but Rassie Erasmus experiments have mixed success
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and wing Cheslin Kolbe.
Following an 80-31 victory for the Springboks over the Barbarians on Saturday, here’s our five takeaways from the clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The top line
The Springboks overcame a slack six minutes to dominate the Barbarians in the second period and open their international season with a dominant victory.
In typical Baa-Baas style, there was plenty of free-flowing rugby – from both sides – but South Africa’s success came from them doubling down on their super strengths, namely their scrum and maul.
Rassie Erasmus’ men played some excellent rugby early on, going 35-7 in front thanks to Edwill van der Merwe’s double and further tries from Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese and Riley Norton – three of those coming after TJ Perenara and Miracle Fai’ilagi had been sin-binned.
However, a yellow card of their own for Grant Williams enabled the invitational team to hit back with Franco Molina, Andrew Kellaway and Perenara adding to Virimi Vakatawa’s earlier try to reduce the arrears.
That was as good as it got for the visitors, whose week on the lash caught up with them in the second period. Cheslin Kolbe crossed the whitewash at the end of the first half and they then proceeded to score 40 more points after the break.
Van der Merwe completed his hat-trick while JJ Kotze, Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen and Zach Porthen also went over to complete the rout.
Boks office back-row
Erasmus will be looking for the successors to the likes of Siya Kolisi, Du Toit and perhaps even Wiese post-Rugby World Cup, but right now they remain their first choice back-row and it is easy to see why.
Wiese, having spent another season in Asia in the slightly less taxing Japan Rugby League One, looked fit and sharp and was barrelling over established internationals with regularity, even at close quarters. Du Toit and Kolisi were playing slightly wider, as has often been the way since the arrival of Tony Brown, and they thrived in those spaces.
It was the skipper who provided the assist for Van der Merwe’s first try with a deft pass after drawing the final defender, while his flank team-mate proved incredibly difficult to stop when probing that five-metre channel on the wing. Du Toit was also rewarded for his performance by going over the line, although it came via the more direct route with a powerful surge close to the whitewash.
The trio were also among their top-tacklers, although the two-time World Rugby Player of the Year did miss a few, so there is still plenty to work on after they managed to blow off the cobwebs ahead of the England clash.
Rassie’s experiments
The strength of the squad on Saturday may have taken a few by surprise but, as Erasmus stated, it is acting as preparation for their huge Test against the English in the Nations Championship. However, that did not prevent the Boks from trialling a few things, which included a new fly-half and second-row forward.
Quan Horn, who has never started at 10 for the Lions, was handed the role in what was a fascinating move from the hosts. He has a fine passing game and a hefty left boot, and those two facets were in evidence on occasion, but his inexperience generally showed. Horn did not quite know where to stand, made a few poor decisions and ultimately needs plenty of work if he is to be comfortable going forward. Equally, he will be frustrated by his early defensive work after being run over by Alex Nankivell for Vakatawa’s score.
His selection also left them without what most consider an out-and-out goal-kicker, certainly at international level, but it is a responsibility Cheslin Kolbe has taken on in Japan to great success. Kolbe has been operating at 81 per cent and the wing was handed the role against the Barbarians, where he was exceptional, kicking nine conversions.
One of those kicks came after Norton touched down, the U20 captain who has yet to play a professional game for the Stormers. The youngster is very highly regarded in South Africa, and those talents were evident from the start. What was particularly noticeable was his technical work in the tight, which belied his tender years, while he did not shirk anything physically. Impressive from the lock, who looks destined to have a long Springboks career.
Costly yellow cards
After the disappointing contest last year, neutrals were hoping for a better display in 2026 from what was, on paper at least, a talented side, but when they lost Perenara and Fai’ilagi to the sin bin and shipped three tries in that period, it did not look promising.
It left them 35-7 in arrears and facing an embarrassing afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, but the Boks also struggled to keep their discipline. Scrum-half Williams was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on, and during those 10 minutes, the Baa-Baas played some spellbinding rugby as they also touched down three times.
Erasmus would have been concerned by their midfield defence with Andre Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel biting in, giving too much space on the outside. Those two experienced centres perhaps wanted to offer a helping hand to the fly-half, who was run over by Nankivell early on, but those gaps were exploited by the invitational side at the end of the first half.
However, the Barbarians were unable to maintain that momentum and a needless mistake from the restart enabled Kolbe to cross the whitewash while South Africa were down to 14 to ease the pressure going into the second period.
They would then keep their foot on the throat after the break, despite an early yellow card for Aphelele Fassi. The Springboks went back to basics and were much more direct, going to their trusty maul and scrum, and duly bullied the visitors physically in the final 35 minutes.
Testy TJ
In many ways, we enjoyed TJ Perenara’s combative approach. Sometimes these games can be a bit of a jolly for those Barbarians players, but Perenara, having been given the opportunity to face South Africa for the first time since 2024, was clearly desperate to win.
The former All Blacks scrum-half, to his immense credit, was everywhere both with and without the ball, but that sheer competitiveness spilled over to disrespect towards the referee. He had already been sin-binned for a high shot but, after returning to the field, Perenara did not stop moaning at the man in the middle.
Morné Ferreira attempted to calm him down, warning him about his behaviour and even calling him a “legend of the game”, perhaps trying to appeal to his ego, but quite frankly he would have been better served simply penalising him and, if he continued, giving him a second yellow. Given that these games are the friendliest of friendlies, Ferreira understandably didn’t want to do that, but Perenara’s attitude was simply unacceptable and should have been sanctioned.