It was a dominant performance from the South African Springboks in Saturday's match against Australia at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria. After two tight matches between the teams last year, this game ended with a whopping 43-12 scoreline in favor of Rassie Erasmus's men – sending out an early warning to their rivals as they look ahead to defending their Rugby Championship title. Here are our key insights from what everyone witnessed on Saturday afternoon:
Overview of the Match
Kurt-Lee Arendse's hat trick, along with an amazing game by Pieter-Steph du Toit, helped lead South Africa's rout. The only question that their coaches will be asking is whether they could have left a few more tries on the field.
It was a masterpiece in classic Springbok rugby: straight, brave, powerful, and muscular – to the detriment of the weak Wallabies at times.
For both teams, this was the first step toward establishing their Rugby World Cup identity for 2023. Based on what we saw on Saturday, South Africa looks sharper and more powerful than they have in the previous three seasons, while Australia was on the verge of failing to show up, which may surprise many in the game given the changes in their coaching staff. The Rugby World Cup, which is now less than two months away, will begin with a classic match between host France and favorite New Zealand.
Gainline Obliteration
Spend a few minutes with Eddie Jones, and you'll quickly realize he feels gain line domination is the single most influential factor in Test match success. However, it's evident that his pack hasn't been paying attention as much as they should have, as the Bok eight utterly decimated the Wallabies in contact, tearing through gold shirts like a runaway juggernaut led by Jean Kleyn.
It wasn't all about power, though; Marvin Orie had some excellent offloading skills, while Marco van Staden was also effective with the ball in hand. His interaction with Bongi Mbonambi and Arendse to put the latter over down the short side from a lineout was a lovely piece of openside flanker vision and execution.
The fact that the Boks have nullified guys like the unknown Will Skelton, a man who has roamed Europe like the Colossus of Rhodes for the last two seasons, speaks much about their domination.
Gainline domination isn't only about the pack; Andre Esterhuizen made thunderous runs into the center of the pitch, providing an excellent counterbalance to Lukhanyo Am's exquisite midfield talent.
Boks Bonuses
With Arendse's incredible finishing on the left flank practically a certainty, the most gratifying aspect for South Africa will be their pace in pushing forward and willingness to utilize the width of the field.
Manie Libbok isn't your typical Springbok fly-half, and there will always be instances when even his most fervent followers will want to put his head in his hands. But he added a spark and vision to this Bok side, as well as a spirit of boldness and a determination to flaunt his stuff and drag his teammates along for the ride.
Final Thoughts
South Africa will have their toughest test yet when they visit New Zealand next week, while the Wallabies will relish the opportunity to play Los Pumas at home. But before that, critical factors like set-piece dominance and gain line obliteration will be analyzed by teams worldwide to replicate what South Africa achieved on Saturday – a perfect example of sports betting done right. The result was convincing and inspirational, and it will be exciting to see how far the Springboks can go with this sort of form.
