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Springboks make big statement but mustn’t get carried away
With Wales so weak, it was the perfect recipe for the Boks to claim a record win, which they managed to do in style.
The Springboks have arrived in Toulon and ready to begin the defence of their World Cup trophy. Picture: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
The Springboks made a massive statement as they gave a young and inexperienced Wales side a record 52-16 thrashing in their World Cup warm-up match at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon.
It was a very good performance from the Boks and one they were looking for after a mixed bag in their four previous games this season, but it was also a result that was expected with the kind of team that Wales put out.
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So, though it was a strong showing and a timely reminder to teams at the World Cup that the Boks are still a threat, it is a performance that the team and supporters should not get carried away with.
This was a game in which Welsh coach Warren Gatland readily admitted that he was testing his side’s depth ahead of them naming their World Cup squad on Monday.
On top of that, their two most experienced players originally named to start, Dan Biggar and Liam Williams, were withdrawn in a precautionary measure on Thursday due to niggles, followed by another experienced head in Alex Cuthbert being ruled out due to injury on Friday.
Tough place
Cardiff is usually a tough place for the Boks to play and the Principality Stadium is one they have struggled to win at in recent times with just one win at the ground in their last five games there before Saturday.
But with Wales so weak, it was the perfect recipe for the Boks to claim a record win.
Their previous best result at the ground came back in 2007 when Jake White’s World Cup winning Boks thumped them 34-12 in what was his final Test match as coach of the team, and with the World Cup having been in France that year it may be a good omen that the Boks broke that record this year.
But despite the impressive winning margin the Boks still have to get better and prove that this performance was not a once off, and what better opportunity do they have to do that than against their biggest rivals, the All Blacks, at Twickenham this coming Friday.
