Springboks v Georgia: Winners and losers including veteran’s ‘revelation’ but concerns midfield ‘leak’
Springboks vs Georgia winners and losers as midfield 'leak' causes concern and World Cup winner re-enters conversation
The Springboks beat Georgia 55-10 at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening as Rassie Erasmus’ men saw off an initially tough Georgian challenge.
Here are the winners and losers from the occasion:
Winners:
Vasil Lobzhanidze
The Georgian number nine was a part of everything good about the Georgian attack. He brought pace and creativity to the underdogs and kept the Springboks on their back feet. Even as his side’s defence crumbled, Lobzhanidze remained solid in search of a late comeback.
Boan Venter
A try on debut for the Scottish-qualified prop. Venter made a decision today. He decided that if he was going to play for the Springboks, it wouldn’t be for just one Test. Props don’t regularly score tries, but the 28-year-old made sure Rassie Erasmus knows that he does. A late start to his international career, but an impressive one.
Marnus van der Merwe
Scoring a try on debut is pretty great, but scoring two is rather special. This was the reality for Marnus van der Merwe as he piled over to rescue the Springboks from an early deficit. He may have given way to the bomb squad at the 44-minute mark, but it was a first half to remember for the 28-year-old hooker.
Edwill Van Der Merwe
The Springboks are blessed with short flying wingers who wear scrum caps. Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt Lee Arundse, and now Edwill Van Der Merwe. It was another two tries for the 29-year-old wing as he continues his incredible Springboks journey, having now scored five tries in just three appearances. His first of the day had the scent of a forward pass when he received the ball on the wing, but there were no doubts about the second. Reading the game expertly, he latched onto a Faf de Klerk chip over the top to take the Springboks well beyond reach.
Faf de Klerk
Largely ignored by international selectors in recent times, his arrival onto the field around the 60-minute mark was nothing short of a revelation. Only on the field for ten minutes, he was superb, speeding up the Springboks’ attack and assisting Van Der Merwe with a brilliant chip over the top. He reminded the South African public and Rassie Erasmus why he was the first-choice nine for so many years, quite possibly putting himself back in the conversation.
Springboks put innovation to one side in destructive victory over Georgia
Losers:
Sacha Mngomezulu
With competition from the likes of Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok, this was a match for Mngomezulu to step up and show the goods if he were to become a serious contender at ten. Instead, he missed his first three conversions and ended with a 20% kicking ratio, showing that his abilities under pressure are still something to be concerned about. With the level of competition so high, mistakes like these simply cannot be accepted.
Georgian scrum
Despite the early aggression of the Georgians, it was their scrum which fell apart first. Just when the visitors looked like they were involved in a real close test match, the Springboks broke the tight five. Hitting just a 78% own scrum, and not making a dent on the Springboks scrum, the visitors failed to create a sustainable platform on which to work off.
Canan Moodie
Although the talented young centre had an impressive game in attack, it was his defence that once again raised eyebrows. The 22-year-old missed four tackles as the Springboks struggled to come to terms with the early Georgian physicality. Whilst it didn’t affect the eventual result, against better teams, in more high-profile scenarios and with higher stakes, a leaking defence could make all the difference.
