Springboks shake off rust to secure dominant win over Wales at Twickenham

Two early tries for the Boks suggested this might be a very tough day at the office for Warren Gatland's men but the world champions weren't quite able to kick on from there. 

The performance wasn't always a clinical one, with a general lack of discipline and some early-season rust allowing Wales back into a game the men in green and gold should have been running away with.

Nevertheless, the Boks' class shone through when it mattered, ultimately leading to a fairly dominant win for a team that was playing their first match since October and missing some key players.

There were also some real bright spots for head coach Rassie Erasmus, including an impressive return for fullback Aphelele Fassi and promising debuts from fellow backline stars Edwill van der Merwe and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

Match Report

After a couple of solid phases from the Boks to get their 2024 season under way, Wales were pinged for not rolling away at ruck time, though Jordan Hendrikse couldn't find the target with his first shot at goal.

The Boks would score a superb try straight from the restart, however, after moving the ball out wide at pace to create an overlap, where a clever one-two between Jesse Kriel and Makazole Mapimpi saw the center to crash over. Hendrikse made no mistake with the conversion despite it being a much tougher kick than the first.

Moments later, Franco Mostert was also pinged for not rolling away, allowing Wales to get on the board via a fairly straightforward penalty kick.

With 10 minutes gone, the two teams packed down for the first scrum of the game, with the Springboks making a clear statement of intent as they shoved the Welsh forwards back to win the penalty.

The Boks were soon back on the attack, a little pop pass from De Klerk sending Evan Roos straight through the midfield and charging downfield, very nearly making it to the line before a cynical foul from Rio Dyer saw the Welsh winger sent to the bin for 10 minutes.

The Boks kept pounding at the Welsh line, and while their defence initially withstood the barrage, the penalties started piling up. When Wales infringed again to prevent the Boks from scoring via a lineout maul, the referee awarded a penalty try and sent another Welsh player to the bin - No 8 Aaron Wainwright - to reduce them to 13.

The Springboks gave away a second penalty for not rolling away moments later - Kwagga Smith this time - but Sam Costelow couldn't convert from in front.

The Boks survived a scare when Hendrikse tried to throw a 50/50 pass in contact and succeeded only in throwing it straight to winger Liam Williams. Some desperate defence from Edwill van der Merwe prevented what looked like a certain Welsh try, as the debutant pulled off brave back-to-back tackles to avert the danger.

Aphelele Fassi looked solid under several high balls during the first half but with half an hour gone, he was adjudged to have raised his leg too high while taking a catch, connecting with a Welsh player on the shoulder. It was clearly accidental, but the referee saw it as foul play.

From the ensuing penalty, Wales kicked for the corner. Eben Etzebeth looked to have stolen the throw but the ball fell kindly for Dewi Lake who was able to crash over for a try seemingly from nowhere. Costelow added the extras as Wales reduced the deficit to just four points.

Hendrikse overcooked his kick from the restart before a series of Bok penalties put Wales right back in front of the sticks, where Costelow converted an easy kick to bring them back to within one point.

The Boks looked to hit back shortly after but another unforced error put pay to that, with half-time probably arriving just in time.

Whatever Erasmus said in the changeroom must have done the trick as the Boks came out with plenty of intent to start the second half, moving the ball upfield before some slick hands in the backline freed up Mapimpi on the outside for a well-worked try. Hendrikse added the extras to once again create a bit of daylight on the scoreboard.

With five minutes gone, Erasmus brought both Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe onto the pitch for Vincent Koch and Malcolm Marx, and it didn't take long for another scrum penalty to follow, with Hendrikse converting to put South Africa 11 points clear.

The Boks looked to turn the screws after earning a penalty for a high shot on Malherbe, but Roos was held up over the line to prevent what looked a certain try.

When Wales earned a rare scrum penalty it allowed them to kick for the corner, and while their maul made the necessary meters, this time it was the Boks' turn to successfully hold them up over the line.

As the match entered its final quarter, another TMO intervention spotted a high shot from Mbonambi, although the hooker escaped with only a penalty.

With 15 minutes to play, debutant Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu - on for Hendrikse - took his first shot at goal in a Bok jersey from inside his half and slotted it beautifully to add three more points to the tally.

When another penalty followed shortly after, the Boks kicked for the corner and there was no stopping their maul as Mbonambi went over for their third try.

With time running out, a moment of brilliance from Edwill van der Merwe saw the winger charge straight through the middle of the Welsh defence and go over for a brilliant solo try.

And that was how it finished, with the Boks cruising home comfortably against a Wales side that probably did well not to lose by a bigger margin in the end.

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