It was raining tries when the Springboks trounced the Barbarians 80-31 in a thrill-a-minute exhibition of running rugby in Gqeberha on Saturday.
Ahead of the clash, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said he wanted the game to set the tone for the rest of the season, and his players rose to the challenge.
The Boks scored 12 dazzling tries, with wing Edwill van der Merwe scoring a hattrick of five-pointers.
It proved to be a triumphant homecoming for Zwide-born Siya Kolisi, who received a rapturous welcome from a 27,000 crowd when he led the Boks onto the field at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
Though the non-cap match was not recognised as a Test, the win extended the Boks’ unbeaten streak at the venue to 10 matches (nine wins and a draw).
The resounding victory was the perfect way for the Boks to prepare for their opening match in the Nations Championship against England at Ellis Park on July 4.
Though the Boks were missing several regulars on duty for the Bulls in Friday’s United Rugby Championship final, they still had too much firepower for the Barbarians.
It did not take the attack-minded Boks long to get into their stride, and they were over for the first try of the game after five minutes.
Kolisi burst through the Barbarians’ defence to set up an early opportunity for wing Edwill van der Merwe, who went over in the corner to put the Boks 5-0 ahead.
The clash started at a lively pace with the Barbarians taking the attack to the Boks after leaking an early try.
They were rewarded for their endeavours when strong-running centre Viimi Vakatawa crossed the Whitewash for the Barbarians in the 10th minute.
The Boks doubled their lead after 14 minutes when powerful loose forward Pieter-Steph du Toit muscled his way over the Barbarians’ tryline.
The Baabaas found themselves down to 13 men after referee Morne Ferreira yellow-carded skipper TJ Perenara and No 8 Miracle Fai’ilagi in quick succession.
This lack of discipline proved costly for the Barbarians, with the Boks crossing for three tries in 10 minutes to stretch their lead to 35-7 after 24 minutes.
Livewire wing Van der Merwe dived over for the second try, and there were also five pointers for No 8 Jasper Wiese and SA U20 skipper Riley Norton, who scored on debut for the senior team.
When Perenara and Fai’ilagi returned to the field, the Barbarians delighted the crowd with dazzling running rugby which kept the Boks on the back foot.
Tries by lock Franco Molina, Perenara and wing Andrew Kelleway allowed the Barbarians to narrow the Boks’ lead to 40-26 at halftime.
Scorers:
South Africa 80: Tries: Edwill van der Merwe (3), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Riley Norton, Cheslin Kolbe. JJ Kotze, Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Zach Porthern. Conversions: Cheslin Kolbe (9). Vusi Moyo.
Barbarians 31: Tries: Vimi Vakatawa, Franco Molina, Andrew Kelleway (2), TJ Perenara. Conversions: Tomas Albornoz (3).
• In a curtain-raiser, Zimbabwe were taught a ruthless lesson about the gulf in class between top and lower-tier nations when they slumped to a 40-0 defeat against an SA A side.
The Zimbabweans, who are busy preparing for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, trailed 21-0 at the break.
Scorers:
SA A 40: Tries: Yaqeen Ahmed, Markus Muller, Haashim Pead, Nico Steyn, Imad Khan, Jaco Williams. Conversions: Ahmed (3), Luan Giliomee (2).
Zimbabwe 0 - HeraldLIVE