Scrappy Springboks overwhelm Georgia with nine tries
The Springboks face Australia in their Rugby Championship opener in four weeks at Ellis Park.
Debutant hooker Marnus van der Merwe scored two tries but the scoreline masked an error-strewn performance.
Prop Boan Venter, centre Canan Moodie, wings Edwill van der Merwe (two) and Kurt-Lee Arendse, fullback Damian Willemse and flyhalf Handre Pollard also crossed as they ran in nine tries.
But the Springboks served up double-digit handling errors, were poor at the lineout in the second half and could not get the upper hand at the breakdown.
It was minutes in the tank at the start of the international season for several players, including captain Siya Kolisi on his return from injury.
"Credit to the Georgians, physically they matched us most of the time. We struggled at the breakdown, where they were quite dominant," Kolisi said.
This man clearly loves scoring tries 💥#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold #RSAvGEO pic.twitter.com/39Zh0F9gnE
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 19, 2025
"We did not do enough positives one after the other. We would do something good and then make a mistake, which slowed us down. Hopefully, we can fix that."
The hosts had three debutants in Venter, Marnus van der Merwe and Neethling Fouche as coach Rassie Erasmus stretched the number of players he has used in three games this year to 46.
Georgia made a fast start and scored the opening try from a driving maul following a lineout, hooker Vano Karkadze powering his way over.
"This was a great match for us to grow," Georgia flanker Luka Ivanishvili said. "It was my first time playing in this kind of atmosphere and these types of game are helping us to grow to the next World Cup (in 2027)."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
9 minutes ago
- USA Today
49ers top pick lands top-10 spot in rookie Madden ratings
With NFL training camps in full swing, fans are eagerly awaiting the release of this year's installment of EA Sport's Madden series, Madden 26, which is set to come out August 14 on Xbox Series X/S, Windows, PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch 2. At this point in the calendar, the team at EA Sports is starting to release player grades for this year's game, and on Wednesday, they announced the top-10 rookies in Madden 26 at launch. That list included San Francisco 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams, who came in tied for seventh with a 78 overall grade. Joining Williams on the list of the top-10 rookies in EA Sports' Madden 26 are Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (84 overall), Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (83 overall), New York Giants defensive end Abdul Carter (81 overall), Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Mason Graham (80 overall), New England Patriots offensive tackle (79 overall), Atlanta Falcons linebacker Jalon Walker (79 overall), Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Kenneth Grant, Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (78 overall) and Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (78 overall). Williams, 21, played collegiately at Georgia from 2022-24, earning All-SEC honors twice and winning a national championship as a freshman. In 40 career games with the Bulldogs, Williams recorded 67 tackles (23 for a loss), 14 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. The 49ers took Williams in the first round (No. 11 overall) of this year's draft, and he's expected to be one of the team's starting edge rushers in 2025, opposite five-time Pro Bowler and former Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa. Through the first week of training camp, Williams is looking like a first-round pick already. According to those in attendance, the Georgia product has been dominating some of his trench battles and has been holding his own against Trent Williams, who's considered one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. More 49ers: 7 takeaways from the San Francisco 49ers' first week of training camp
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Take a look at Buford High School's new $62 million football stadium
The Georgia High School Football season kicks off in a few weeks and one local high school will have a new $62 million stadium to call home this year. Buford High School officially cut the ribbon on the new Dexter Wood Field at Phillip Beard Stadium this week. It's named after former education chairman Phillip Beard and former head coach Dexter Wood, who won three state titles. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The stadium can fit up to 10,000 fans and features 1,543 premium seats. There are also 15 suites with catering services offered and a special event room. In the endzone, fans can look up and see the giant, 44 feet x 82 feet scoreboard. 'I can't say enough about the support that we receive from our school board and city. Having a chance to play all of our home games in a venue like this is unprecedented in the state of Georgia and most of the nation. We can't thank them enough for the opportunity to have a home game experience like this,' Buford head coach Bryant Appling said. Buford hosts Milton on Aug. 14 for the first official game at the new stadium. We'll give you a behind-the-scenes look of the facility, today on Channel 2 Action News. Channel 2's Candace McCowan asked Director of Athletic facilities Tony Wolfe if there were other stadiums like this in Georgia. He didn't think so and said this stadium might even be giving Texas high school football stadiums a run of their money. Wolfe said the stadium is actually owned by the city and leased by the district. He said the community loves this school, as demonstrated by the new expansive school across the street and other facilities like their performing arts center that's just as nice. TRENDING STORIES: Back 2 School 2025: When does your school district go back? Stuff the Bus donations delivered to children heading back to school Georgia high school football playoff scores [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
2025 College Football Odds: Back Longhorns To Eclipse Win Total
Is just making the College Football Playoff good enough for the richest program in the sport? After back-to-back playoff appearances, including two wins and a semifinal berth last season, the Texas Longhorns look to finally win the championship in 2025. Texas, just like its friends in the upper tier of the sport, does not lose games that it should win. The Horns were 11-1 with a loss to Georgia in the 2024 regular season. Then they went 11-1 in 2023 with a loss to 6-0 Oklahoma on the final play of the game. That's it — two regular-season losses in the last two seasons. Now, after two years of hype and 90 passing attempts last season, Texas turns to Arch Manning as the starter. He's shown elite physical abilities, so the hype is warranted — but being a first-time starter does come with some bumps and bruises. The Texas offensive line was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award last year, but that unit still had moments where it wasn't as clean as expected. It now has to replace four starters, but waiting are all the top-tier recruits and portal players. Texas continues to lose receivers to the draft and Steve Sarkisian has replacements waiting on the roster there, too. The Longhorns run game has been something they can lean on. The offense is loaded with unproven talent, but Sark's track record, plus the talent of Manning, should get them humming quickly. On the defensive side, Texas sent five guys to the NFL, but just like the offense, that side of the ball is retooling with the highest level of talent. Linebacker Anthony Hill will be the anchor of the defense, with freshman All-American Colin Simmons as the lead pass rusher. Texas went to the portal for defensive linemen and the secondary. The Longhorns have a track record of being able to develop on that side of the ball and I trust Pete Kwiatkowski and staff to have this defense playing at an elite level again this season. If we look at the Texas schedule with the assumption that upsets are rare, the squad has two games right now that are toss-ups. Texas opens the season at Ohio State and then plays Georgia in the middle of November on the road. Ohio State must replace so much production on both lines and at quarterback, so catching them to start the season could favor Texas here. I do worry about the Longhorns' ability to win at Georgia after going 0-2 against the Bulldogs last season. So if they split these games, Texas is closer to winning 11 games than nine. A split would allow for an upset and the Longhorns still going Over 9.5 wins. Games against Florida and Texas A&M will be difficult, but Florida has questions at quarterback at the moment and I don't think A&M is good enough to win at Texas right now. If given a choice between the Over or Under on the Texas season, I lean toward the Over. PICK: Texas Over 9.5 Regular Season Wins Geoff Schwartz is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. He played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
