Springboks batter BaaBaas in Cape Town
No 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, another long-time absentee from the Boks ranks, was full of honest endeavour. Perhaps predictably given the conditions, flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu delivered a mixed bag.
Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg's intelligent use of the boot caged the Barbarians inside their own territory, while replacement Cobus Reinach injected energy and purpose after the break.
Kurt-Lee Arendse was typically hawkish in eyeing opportunity, Kolbe played as if fit with all-weather tyres, while Fassi was full of the lustre that has characterised his season. Kolbe was electrifying in the second half.
The visitors' scrum infractions started to mount in the first half as trimmed-down tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye made his presence felt in Bok colours. The Boks, however, did not maintain their grip in that facet and the tourists grew stronger as the first half wore on.
Melvyn Jaminet opened the visitors' score in the 65th minute — but by then the tourists' baabaalas was well in the making. Scorers
Springboks (19) 54 - Tries: Malcolm Marx, Cheslin Kolbe, Vincent Tshituka (2), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Lood de Jager, Damian de Allende. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2), Manie Libbok (5).
Barbarians (0) 7 - Try: Melvyn Jaminet. Conversion: Jaminet.
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Daily Maverick
an hour ago
- Daily Maverick
‘Hybrid' Esterhuizen at flank the next innovation as Springboks continue to push limits
Centre André Esterhuizen made his first international appearance as a flank during the Springboks' 54-7 win over the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday. There was a moment in the media tribune when we suspected the Springboks might have 16 players on the field. The Bomb Squad had just been unleashed en masse. Centre André Esterhuizen was among the eight replacements sent on simultaneously. But as the exchange of players settled down, it was obvious that centres Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende were both still on the field. The Boks wouldn't make such a basic error as having 16 players on the field, would they? This was not New Zealand in a sevens game. 'Where is Esterhuizen playing?' 'He must be at wing, or fullback?' No and no. 'Hang on, isn't that him at flank?' Yes. And the penny dropped. Rassie Erasmus was doing Rassie Erasmus things again. The Boks were thinking outside the box. You had to have a chuckle because we've always known that Esterhuizen is built like a flank at 1.93m tall and around 110kg. Of course Rassie would do it. The answer to where the next Bok innovation would come from was revealed in the opening game of the year. And it probably won't be the last. 'You can call him (Esterhuizen) a hybrid player,' Erasmus said after the match with a glint in his eye. 'You can have two ways of looking at it. When you have a 6-2 split (between forwards and backs), you have Kwagga (Smith) covering the wing. 'But now, we're just doing it the other way around – where you have a back covering a forward position, like André covering flanker. 'So if you have three backline injuries, a guy like André gives us the options now, because he has been training with the forwards and backs.' Hopefully, no one tells that Australian pundit who is making a career of finding anything the Boks do as being against the spirit of the game. The original Bomb Squad with the 6-2 split was bad enough for some sensitive souls. The 7-1 split nearly sent rugby into meltdown. That's before you even consider four scrumhalves in a match-day 23, first-half tactical substitutions and scrums called from marks. Performance Once the realisation set in that Esterhuizen was at flank, it became about watching his performance in that context for the final 30 minutes of the Boks' 54-7 win over the Barbarians at the DHL Stadium. The Boks scrum didn't have it all their own way at that stage. Whether that was down to Esterhuizen's contribution to the scrumming effort is unclear. In the loose, he seemed to grasp the positional needs of his new assignment well, making one great tackle as a Barbarian player came 'around the corner' at a ruck. It was the type of tackle that hardly raises an eyebrow when Pieter-Steph du Toit makes it, but if you're one step too late, then the player is through a hole. Other than that, Esterhuizen was neither bad nor great. He was functional in the position. 'We started chatting to him (André) about five months ago, just to make sure he is a backline player who can also play forward,' Erasmus said. '(Coach) Felix Jones handles his load very well in how much he does with the forwards and how much he does with the backs.' Only the 31-year-old Esterhuizen knows if he fully buys into the idea, but he made the right noises after the match. Time is also counting down in his career. After all, his options at centre remain limited with the brilliant De Allende continuing to perform so well. Esterhuizen also doesn't have the versatility as a player to cover more than one position in the backline. But as a potential hybrid centre/flank he makes a stronger case for regular inclusion in the 23. 'It was a good experience. I trained at flank during the week, and it's a good attribute for the future,' Esterhuizen said. 'I like to learn, and I'm willing to slot into the hybrid role, playing in both forwards and backs. 'It will help me as a player, and obviously it can help the team. Hopefully, we can see more of it. 'Rassie and I spoke about it and came to an agreement. I told him I'd like to try it – it gives you so many more options. I was waiting for the conversation because it had been brought up in the past. But I just shrugged it off. 'However, as you get older, you learn how you can slot in everywhere and how you can get yourself into the team more consistently, and you have to adapt with the players. 'I'm really looking forward to what can be.' Good start The Esterhuizen experiment aside, Erasmus was content with the first outing of the season. The Boks endured an intense few weeks of training leading up to the Barbarians clash, and it showed. Despite the wet field and showers throughout the match, they were mostly slick and cohesive. The set pieces, especially the lineout, functioned well; they attacked beautifully at times, the aerial kicking game was on point and the defence, intense.'We came in here to be bold and positive and not let the conditions affect us and keep the ball in hand, and I thought we looked dangerous on turnover ball,' said captain Jesse Kriel. 'I thought we looked dangerous when we got the ball into guys like Aphelele Fassi, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe's hands. They're special rugby players, they can make something out of nothing, and we saw that today.' Erasmus added, 'We won't get carried away with this performance. Certainly, some of the newer guys showed us that they can do it at this level, but we'll layer them in. 'We know who is going to play in Italy one and two, and certainly by the end of the Georgia game, which will be a grind, we'll have a group of 45, 50 that have had some game time. 'Some of the half gaps and some of the line breaks we made would have stuck if the weather had been drier,' he said. 'We can't wait to play on a dry pitch and improve on our attack. 'We want to get better. The next three matches we'll be trying to focus on us before we hit the Rugby Championship.'
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
Springbok coach Erasmus introduces 'hybrid player' Esterhuizen
CAPE TOWN - Innovative South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus called centre-turned-flanker Andre Esterhuizen a "hybrid player" on Saturday after a 54-7 victory over the Barbarians in wet and cold Cape Town. When replacement back Andre Esterhuizen came on early in the second half of the non-cap exhibition match for the world champions, it was as a loose forward. "You can call him a hybrid player, he is a backline player who can also play in the forwards now," Erasmus told a press conference. "You can have a forward covering a back position like (flanker) Kwagga Smith covering wing, and you can have a back covering a forward position, like Andre. "We started chatting to Andre about it five months ago, now he is a backline player who can also play as a forward." Former Springboks flanker Erasmus, who played key coaching roles in the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup triumphs of South Africa, is a master innovator. He is best known for changing the traditional five forwards-three backs split on the substitutes' bench, choosing six-two and even seven-one combinations instead. Erasmus hailed lock Lood de Jager, back in the team after a two-year absence with a career-threatening heart illness and then injuries. "The condition that he had was almost career-ending, but when we did the fitness testing three weeks ago, he was exceptional," said the coach. LOCK DEPTH "His body might be 32 or 33, but he has had some 'rest' in the last couple of years, and I think that showed. "We are very glad Lood came through, and we have some nice depth at lock now," said Erasmus, referring to eight locks in a 45-man squad for three July Tests against Italy and Georgia. After torrential rain during the eight-try victory over the Baabaas, Erasmus said he was hoping for dry weather when the record four-time Rugby World Cup title-holders face Italy on July 5. "Some of the half gaps and some of the line breaks we made today would have stuck if the weather had been drier," he said. "We cannot wait to play on a dry pitch and improve our attack. We want to get better, and in the next three matches, we will be trying to focus on ourselves before the Rugby Championship. "We know who is going to play in the two Tests against Italy, and certainly by the end of the Georgia game, which will be a grind, we will have a group that have had some game time. "We will not get carried away with this performance, (but) some of the newer guys showed us that they can do it at this level," added Erasmus. Democratic Republic of Congo-born flanker Vincent Tshituka from the Sharks, one of four debutants, scored two tries. South Africa face Italy in Pretoria, then in Gqeberha on 12 July, before a one-off Test against Georgia in Mbombela on 19 July. Two Rugby Championship fixtures each against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina follow between August and October. November Tests in France, Italy, Ireland and Wales complete the schedule for the Springboks, who will defend the World Cup in Australia in 2027.
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
'Overpriced' Springbok tickets blamed for 'empty' DHL Stadium
South Africans are blaming the exorbitant ticket prices for Springboks games for scenes of an 'empty' DHL Stadium during the team's clash against the Barbarians on Saturday, 28 June. The South African national rugby team played its first game, which it won 54- 7, against the British squad. It marks the first of many scheduled games to be played on home soil. On social media, rugby fans who watched from home and those who watched the game live in action have commented about empty seating at the cold and wet DHL Stadium in Cape Town. For many, the 'overpriced' tickets on sale were to blame for the disappointing scenes. TikTok user @ninajanecarterr posted: 'They rugby brings the nation together, but half the nation couldnt even afford to be there.' A second – @coachdullah – posted: 'When playing home matches, SARU should consider the average South African budget. Yes, the Springboks are world champs, but don't make it unaffordable?' A third @ added: 'These prices are outrageous. There are so many who want to go, but simply can't afford to'. @ninajanecarterr all these empty seats and for WHAAATT 🙂 hoping this was a rude awakening for whoever decided on the prices of those tickets?! #springboks #barbarians ♬ original sound – Daiy Abrahams TDM Other Springbok fans excitedly revealed how they managed to scoop high-end tickets for a fraction of the price on match day. TikTok user @drinkandderive0 posted: 'Got them 2 hours before the game! They were greedy with the initial price'. @drinkandderive0 got them 2 hours before the game too. They were greedy with that initial price springboks #saru #barbarians #dhlstadium ♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN 🇬🇧 It's not the first time Springbok fans have complained about the price of test match tickets at the DHL Stadium. But why are they so expensive? According to stadium management, this is because of the venues… Modern, world-class features Limited availability and high demand Cape Town is being hailed as a top tourist destination Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
