The Springboks made light work of the England side in the Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park on Saturday evening.
It was a fifth successive victory over the English and the 45-21 demolishing underscored the strength of the world champions as they overcame some pre-game disruptions to stamp their authority on their visitors.
We look at five takeaways from the clash in Johannesburg.
Rassie always makes a plan
Despite the loss of two stalwarts and Test centurions in captain Siya Kolisi and lock Eben Etzebeth, there were contingencies in place to ensure the Boks do not lose track of their goal.
They had two players, fairly new to the system, who stepped up and played with the same intensity that Kolisi and Etzebeth would’ve. The adaptability of Pieter-Steph du Toit, to move to the lock position and captain the side, shows that whoever misses a game, the next person is ready to make the step up.
Cheslin Kolbe can do it all
There was a bit of secrecy this week as to who was going to handle the goal-kicking, and after Kolbe missed two kicks, Springbok supporters would’ve been on the edge of their seats with England fighting back.
However, with a try and an excellent five conversions from tricky areas, and his brilliant play under the high kicks, the nippy winger has once again shown that he is the Boks’ talisman. He will be critical going forward, and should the Springboks want to free up flyhalf Manie Libbok, Kolbe has shown that he can take on more responsibilities.
The Bomb Squad remains unmatched
While they weren’t sent on almost all at once as a normal Bomb Squad due to an early injury, the replacement did their thing and maintained the pressure the starters had put on the visitors.
Gerhard Steenekamp had to replace Ox Nché very early, while Marco van Staden, Zachary Porthen and Ben-Jason Dixon added some more power early in the second half when they took the field. The scrums had more oomph towards the end; the physicality of the substitutes put England under more pressure.
Counting the cost of injuries
Ox Nché does not sound good at all, and the loosehead jersey will be up for grabs going forward. The Springboks will be hopeful that Kolisi and Etzebeth are ready to play at least one of the next two games.
The stalwarts need some game time ahead of the Greatest Rivalry Tour against the All Blacks, but it’s not urgent that they must be rushed to be ready. Etzebeth, with his injury record, should be wrapped in cotton wool. The lock situation does not look that good; however, some good players are waiting for a chance.
The discipline improved
Looking at how things went against the Barbarians, the discipline really improved against a good England side. The Boks’ penalty count was not high, and it was an unfortunate yellow card for winger Kurt-Lee Arendse.
However, Erasmus can be pleased with this performance and with how well the team came together under severe pressure. Yes, they conceded a couple of tries, but the way they rallied for each other and did it without conceding too many penalties or yellow cards should stand them in good stead.
