A number of Bok players grabbed their chance in the Test against Wales in Durban.
Rookie Bok flyhalf Vusi Moyo celebrates with centre Jesse Kriel during the Test against Wales. Picture: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was full of praise for the four uncapped players in his team who made their debuts in the 43-0 win against Wales in a Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday.
Wing Jaco Williams scored a try and played a role in another, Vusi Moyo controlled things well at flyhalf, while up front Carlu Sadie scrummed superbly and Ruben van Heerden dominated in the lineouts.
A few fringe squad members, such as lock Cobus Wiese, utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon, hooker Andre-Hugo Venter and now three-cap flanker Paul de Villiers, also performed well.
Rugby fans were most interested in Moyo, who at 20 years and 27 days became the youngest man to play flyhalf for the Boks at Test level.
Players who took their opportunity
“He definitely played well,” said Erasmus of Moyo, who gave up playing for the Junior Boks at the U20 World Championship in Georgia to get a crack at playing for the Boks this month.
“You could see there were nerves. I thought he handled it extremely well. But I’ve been there; in your first or second Test you’re tired because of the nerves and I thought his battery was a bit flat in the second half when we took him off.”
Moyo was replaced early in the second half with Manie Libbok.
Erasmus also praised the efforts of other players in his matchday-23, among them the Wiese brothers, back-up hooker Venter and the likes of Sadie and Van Heerden.
“Cobus and Jasper [Wiese] carried well, the lineouts were awesome, both hookers threw really well, we didn’t lose a lineout, Andre-Hugo was solid, and with Ruben there in his first Test,” said Erasmus.
“And Sadie in the scrums, along with Gerhard, Malcolm Wilco, Jan-Hendrik.
“Keep in mind Bongi [Mbonambi] is injured, Ox [Nche] is out … Boan [Venter] got a chance this month, Grobbies [Johan Grobbelaar] played well when he got a chance.
‘Keep growing depth’
“So yes, we’re satisfied with 43-0, and for a lot of the guys, like Paul [de Villiers], who’re not among the regular guys, like Malcolm, Damian, Jesse, Gazza at 15 … then also Cheslin … and Kurt-Lee and Ethan are so close … and the props. What we want is to keep growing our depth. But I’m not going to go on mentioning names.”
The Boks are next in action against Argentina in Buenos Aires in two weeks’ time, before turning their attention to the Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand’s All Blacks.
