Springboks decisively defeat Wales 43-0 in Nations Championship match in Durban

The Springboks team concluded the traditional Friday captain's run at Kings Park in Durban the day before the meeting with Wales as part of the Nations Cup, which will take place on Saturday.

Springboks Team Motivation

Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stik stated that the team aims to add a new trophy to its extensive collection after an impressive start in the debut Nations Cup. Although coach Rassie Erasmus was initially skeptical about this intercontinental competition, his attitude towards the tournament changed after successful victories over England and Scotland.

Focus on the Current Match

The Springboks will host the home leg of the tournament in Durban, where they will face Wales. Stik emphasized that despite long-term plans, including the World Cup in Australia next year, the team always focuses on the upcoming game. He noted that participation in the final weekend of the Nations Cup in Twickenham at the end of November is an important goal, but the priority remains the game here and now.

Assessment of Opponent Wales

Stik refuted public opinion that the match against Wales would be easy. He pointed out that Wales ranks 12th in the world rankings, while the Springboks are ranked first. According to Stik, the Saturday game promises to be difficult because Wales is in better form, and the team views Wales as a very close style opponent who prides itself on its rugby.

Game Preparation

The Springboks' respect for Wales is reflected in the squad selected by Erasmus. Stik noted that the squad demonstrates great experience, including players who have been two-time world champions. He warned that if the team does not prepare properly, it risks losing, as the Welsh players possess world-class class.

Comparison with Past Experience

Stik compared the current Welsh team to the state of the Springboks during Erasmus's first year (2018). He recalled that at the beginning of this coaching era, the Springboks often lost to Wales. After several unsuccessful years (2016 and 2017), when the team experienced losses, gaining major victories and regaining confidence led to a winning streak. Now, Wales, in Stik's opinion, has overcome a period of defeats and is improving in every game.

Integration of Young Players

Despite public questions regarding the inclusion of young players such as Wusi Moyo (20) and Jaco Williams (21), Stik assured that they have established themselves in the Springboks camp. He explained that although they have only played one or two games in the United Rugby Championship, they spent seven weeks in the most demanding environment, handled the workload, and Erasmus encouraged them.

The Springboks team managed to secure a tense and exciting victory over Scotland with a score of 42-28 in the Rugby World Cup match, which took place on Saturday at the Loftus Versfeld stadium.

Match Progression

The game started with a level score of 14-14 at halftime. After this, the Springboks had to exert significant effort to overcome the opponent's experimental approach and take the lead against the dangerous and motivated Scottish team.

In the first twenty minutes of the match, Enbrooze Papier and Evan Roos helped the Springboks gain an early advantage of 14-0. However, the highly motivated visitors were able to respond with goals from Matt Fagerson and Kyle Row. The conversions were executed by Handre Pollard and Finn Russell.

Game Development and Substitutions

In the 41st minute, Ben-Jason Dixon received a card for a dangerous play, but the Springboks team avoided penalties that could have affected the score. The second half of the match began with Elryke Low opening the scoring for the Springboks in the 58th minute, with Pollard converting. Shortly after, Damian Willemse scored the team's fourth try, again converted by the starting ten of the Springboks.

Subsequently, prop Zachary Potten scored his first try. The Scots, represented by Josh Bailiss and Ben White, managed to narrow the gap, leading to tense final ten minutes at Loftus, when the score stood at 35-28.

Match Finale

The Springboks cemented their victory when Jesse Kriel scored a try in the 78th minute, and substitute utility back Juan Horn converted it.

Team Lineups

The starting fifteen-man squad for the Springboks included: 15 Afelele Fassie; 14 Edwin van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian Willemse, 11 Ethan Hooker; 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Enbrooze Papier; 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit 6, Paul de Villiers, 5 Roan Nortje, 4 Kobus Wieße, 3 Wilko Lou, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter. Reserves included: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessele, 17 Ntutuko Mchunu, 18 Zach Potten, 19 Ben-Jason Dixon, 20 Vincent Tsituka, 21 Elryke Low, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Juan Horn.

The starting lineup for Scotland consisted of: 15 Kyle Row; 14 Kyle Stein, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Sionne Tuipulotu, 11 Jamie Dobie; 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben White; 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson; 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Gregor Brown; 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Yoan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoman. Reserves were: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Will Heard, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Josh Bailiss, 21 Magnus Bradbury, 22 Tom Jordan, 23 Stafford McDowell.

The Junior Springboks team gained their first playoff experience in the match against Wales during the final group stage of the U20 World Cup, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday.

Semifinal Challenges

Now the team faces a more serious task: they will meet England in the semi-finals, striving to secure a spot in the final and achieve an unprecedented consecutive victory in the U20 World Cup. The game against Wales showed them what to expect, and the same determination and composure will be required to reach the decisive title match.

After a sluggish start against the Welshmen, the Junior Boks managed to increase the pace and demonstrate significant composure, similar to how the senior Springboks played against England at the Nations Cup last week to finish the encounter.

Preparation for the Next Stage

The team can now draw confidence from both its own performance and the examples set by world champions as it prepares for another confrontation with England. The other semi-final will take place between France and New Zealand.

Junior Springboks coach Kevin Fouet noted that the game against Wales was in the context of the fight for a semi-final spot, meaning it was a playoff match. He added that the team achieved its first goal by passing the group stage and is now focused on the semi-final, relying on the experience of some players in this tournament's playoffs.

Analysis of the Match Against Wales

The Welsh side put the SA U20 through a tough test, leading 14-0 early on, but the team then managed an impressive comeback. This moment is also viewed positively, as the players demonstrated resilience and perseverance when faced with a difficult situation.

However, they realize they cannot afford to repeat the passive start against England on Monday. Fouet emphasized the need to work on defensive aspects and ball retention, stating that the team will analyze the game, closely study turnovers, and increase its sharpness before the semi-final.

Team Statistics

In three group stage matches, the Junior Boks scored 189 points while conceding only 45. Their 29 attempts were the highest among all teams. Despite some defensive shortcomings against Wales, the overall statistics provide a strong foundation for the upcoming match against England.

Fouet's team is the only one to finish the group stage with a point difference exceeding 100. Now they need to learn from all three games and play a complete game to win the semi-final.