Springboks Run Riot In Sensational 80-Point Gqeberha Thriller
Gqeberha was treated to a rugby feast as the Springboks opened their season with an emphatic 80-31 victory over the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The match produced 17 tries, 12 of them scored by the four-time world champions, as both teams embraced an expansive, attacking approach that kept spectators entertained throughout.
The Springboks opened the scoring in the fifth minute after patiently working through several phases. Once the ball was shifted into open space, Aphelele Fassi delivered a perfectly timed skip pass to Siya Kolisi, who drew in his defender before offloading to Edwill van der Merwe. With clear space ahead of him, the winger raced over for the opening try.
Cheslin Kolbe slotted a difficult conversion with ease to give the hosts an early 7-0 lead.
The Barbarians responded in the 10th minute from a lineout deep inside their own half. Alex Nankivell shrugged off Quan Horn’s tackle and burst through the defensive line before sending Virimi Vakatawa over for a well-worked try.
Tomas Albornoz converted to level the scores at 7-7.
The Springboks hit back immediately. After building momentum through multiple phases, Grant Williams released Pieter-Steph du Toit, who powered over beneath the posts for South Africa’s second try.
Moments later, the Barbarians were reduced to 13 men when captain TJ Perenara was yellow-carded for a high tackle and Miracle Faiilagi was sent to the sin bin for cynical play near the try line.
The numerical advantage proved costly for the visitors. Grant Williams produced a moment of brilliance, throwing a long, looping pass wide to Van der Merwe, who crossed for his second try of the afternoon.
Kolbe remained flawless from the tee as the Springboks stretched their lead to 21-7.
A Barbarians lineout inside their own 22 then went horribly wrong, allowing Jasper Wiese to steal possession at the back and crash over for another straightforward score.
Kolbe added his fourth conversion to make it 28-7 after just 20 minutes.
The scoring spree continued five minutes later when Riley Norton crossed for the Springboks’ fifth try. Kolbe once again added the extras to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Just after the half-hour mark, Williams was shown a yellow card for deliberately interfering with a pass during a Barbarians line break.
The infringement briefly reduced the Springboks to 14 men and opened the door for the visitors to claw their way back into the contest.
A minute later, the Barbarians capitalised with a well-executed driving maul from a lineout, allowing Franco Molina to crash over.
The visitors continued to play with ambition and were rewarded again when Warrick Gelant delivered a superb pass to Andrew Kellaway, who finished strongly in the corner.
The Barbarians then completed a remarkable first-half resurgence, scoring three tries in eight minutes. Slick handling created space for TJ Perenara to finish off an excellent move, while Albornoz’s accurate boot ensured all three tries were converted.
Despite the momentum swing, the Springboks had the final say before the break. Opting for a scrum after winning a penalty five metres from the Barbarians’ line, Kolbe picked up cleanly at the base and danced through the defence to score.
However, he missed the conversion attempt, bringing an end to a thrilling opening half.
HALF-TIME: SPRINGBOKS 40-26 BARBARIANS
The second half began with Van der Merwe believing he had completed his hat-trick, only for the try to be ruled out after Fassi was penalised for a high tackle on Perenara in the build-up. The fullback received a yellow card for the infringement.
Despite being a man down, the Springboks continued to dominate. Fresh legs injected new energy, and the powerful South African maul proved unstoppable as JJ Kotze marked his debut with a try.
Kolbe added the conversion to extend the lead to 47-26.
Van der Merwe eventually secured his hat-trick in the 57th minute when Andre Esterhuizen created space for the winger to canter over in the corner. Kolbe was unable to add the conversion.
The Barbarians responded through Kellaway, who crossed for his second try of the match following a sustained period of controlled phase play.
However, the biggest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Faf de Klerk. Returning to Springbok colours, the scrumhalf was sent into space by Vusi Moyo and raced away to score.
Kolbe continued to impress from the kicking tee as the Springboks maintained complete control heading into the final quarter.
Jesse Kriel added his name to the scoresheet in the 74th minute before Esterhuizen and Zachary Porthen crossed in the closing stages to cap off a memorable afternoon of attacking rugby.
FULL-TIME: SPRINGBOKS 80-31 BARBARIANS
