Rugby Championship: South Africa make a blistering start
The Springboks showed no mercy against Australia (43-12) in the opening match of the Rugby Championship on Saturday in Pretoria.
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South Africa are back in business. In the opening round of the Rugby Championship, the Springboks were impressive. At home, they demolished Australia (43-12).
The Springboks already led 17-5 at the break and pulled away in the second half, when the Wallabies conceded two penalty tries. In the second half, the hosts stepped up their attacks and found gaps in the Australian defence. Arendse scored his third try after slipping through three bewildered Australian defenders.
The reigning world champions finished off the visitors late on. Six minutes from time, Pieter-Steph du Toit was rewarded for his first try against Australia and his side's sixth of the match. Libbok converted to complete the rout. Scorer of three tries, Kurt-Lee Arendse was named man of the match.
Apart from an opening try and a consolation try late on, the Wallabies were completely at sea. The Australians were powerless against the pace and intensity imposed by the Springboks.
Six-try #Springboks start 2023 with a bang 🇿🇦#StrongerTogether #RSAvAUS #TRC2023 pic.twitter.com/U69YTADCyT
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 8, 2023
A fine win... and some flaws
Despite the big win, Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick pointed to plenty of negatives. He said: “There are a lot of things we can improve, but we'll take the result any day. If you had told us during the week that we would score 43 points against Australia, we would have said you were dreaming. But we have something to work on.”
The Springboks still have work to do in certain areas, Mzwandile Stick also believes. “There was a period in the game when we had plenty of entries into the Australian 22 and we didn't manage to convert them - and there were also a few stoppages - and I think that's where we need to keep improving. We have to make sure we turn those chances into points - when we play the All Blacks and Argentina, we won't have ten chances; we'll only have four or five and you have to convert them.”
In their second match, South Africa will face the reigning champions, New Zealand, on Saturday 15 July. Like the Springboks, the All Blacks made a strong start. They thrashed Argentina (41-12).
🪜 How things stand after Round One. #RugbyChampionship pic.twitter.com/xcT2e4mF6m
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) July 8, 2023