Inaccurate Springboks score nine tries as they put Georgia away at Mbombela

The Springboks could point to the final scoreline against a gallant Georgia as evidence of a job well done at Mbombela Stadium, but that would be inaccurate.

Nine tries and a 55-10 win gave the illusion of complete domination, but it was that was only part of the story. The Boks’ litany of mistakes, which included 11 handling errors, two botched lineouts on the Georgian tryline and poor goal-kicking are where coach Rassie Erasmus might spend more time in the review.

Flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu endured a difficult afternoon, landing just one of five kicks at goal, while also struggling in general play.

He is obviously talented, but at this stage he is too mercurial to build a team around.

In contrast, Handrè Pollard gave a reminder of why the Boks still need him with some flashy attacking play, four out of four kicks at goal and a lovely try with the last, sweeping move of the game.

Credit to Georgia

Georgia also deserves some credit for making life difficult for the Boks. Coach Richard Cockerill said they wouldn’t take a step back, and they were true to their word, rocking the Boks from the start.

They won a penalty after two minutes, kicked to the corner, won the lineout and scored from a rolling maul via hooker Vano Karkadze. It was clinically impressive and sent a message to the Boks that they were here to play, and not to be doormats.

Read more: Boks out to find more answers against Georgia in last outing before Rugby Championship

They stuck at it too, for much of the first hour. It was only in the final quarter that Georgia finally fell apart, mainly due to some individual brilliance from the Boks, rather than collective domination.

Debuts

Looking at the positives for the world champions, the risk of playing three debutants in the front row paid off. Loosehead Boan Venter, hooker Marnus van der Merwe and tighthead Neethling Fouché were all excellent.

They dominated the scrums and were prominent in the loose. Venter scored the Boks’ opening try of the match after several phases of Bok pressure on the Georgian line.

Van der Merwe also added his name to the teamsheet with two tries on debut, both from the back of rolling mauls from lineouts that had their genesis from penalties.

In fact, it was a good day for all the Van der Merwes, with wing Edwill also scoring twice to take his tally to five tries in three Tests. He looks completely at home at this level.

Edwill also vastly improved his aerial game in the past week against Italy, with some good work under the high ball compared to the previous week against Italy.

Georgia were combative and competitive in the first half, adding a penalty from the boot of flyhalf Luka Matkava, to their earlier try. They went into halftime 22-10 down and must have felt that if they could score early in the second half, they would really rattle the Boks.

Georgia enjoyed the better of the breakdown for the first hour, with the excellent flanks Beka Saghinadze and Luka Ivanishvili making life particularly trying for the men in green.

Mixed bag

Bok captain Siya Kolisi struggled early on after being sent for a head injury assessment when he was clattered trying to stop marauding No 8 Ilia Spanderashvili. When he returned, it took a while for the 93-cap veteran to grow into the match.

One Bok player who was immense for the full 80 minutes was lock Ruan Nortjé, who worked himself to a standstill and played a part in several tries.

Centre Canan Moodie, another who had a strong game, scored a first-half try after some clever work by Nortjé in the build-up. The big Bulls lock had a hand in Edwill van der Merwe’s second try too.

The Bok bench – the Bomb Squad – was deployed in the 46th minute, which seemed a little harsh on the three debutants, who were playing well and growing into the contest.

Read more: Junior Boks on brink of World Championship success thanks to better preparation, planning

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi’s first action was to throw in at a lineout five metres from the Georgian line, and he missed his target.

The scrums also creaked with the new front row. Thomas du Toit seems to be less effective at loosehead while Vincent Koch must be nervously wondering what his future holds with the arrival of Fouche.

Even lock RG Snyman took some time to impose himself on the match. But after a slow start he had a hand in the final 10-minute pyrotechnics that saw the Boks score three lovely, sweeping tries.

Lessons?

The Boks have now won four of their four matches so far this winter, and can head to the Rugby Championship with some confidence, but also some caution.

Their breakdown work was patchy against Italy and Georgia, goalkicking and handling have not been exemplary against inferior opposition. It is a worry heading into sterner challenges.

But Erasmus has probably found some answers too. Scrumhalf Grant Williams is the undisputed first choice, while Faf de Klerk’s cameo from the bench at Mbombela harked back to his best days.

He was spectacular for the 15 minutes he was on, and has reminded everyone of his value. His kick over the top to put Edwill van der Merwe away from his second try was brilliant.

Moodie confirmed that he is ready to deputise for Jesse Kriel, while Damian Willemse’s strong half hour against Georgia was timely.

Nortjé has forced himself into the equation as a starter, while the Cobus Wiese at No 8 experiment against Georgia showed some green shoots of promise.

The attack looks to be improving all the time, which is more a result of greater ambition than massive technical adjustments. The Boks are simply backing themselves more.

Against Georgia there were some very good moments, but there were some abjectly poor moments.

Erasmus still has much to ponder. DM 

Scorers:

South Africa – Tries: Boan Venter, Marnus van der Merwe (2), Canan Moodie, Edwill van der Merwe (2), Damian Willemse, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handrè Pollard. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Handrè Pollard (4). 

Georgia – Try: Vano Karkadze. Conversion: Luka Matkava. Penalty: Matkava.