Kolisi try magic sets up series win for the stylish Boks
SOUTH Africa put four tries past France for the second week running to clinch their three-Test series in emphatic fashion in Durban yesterday.
With inspirational flanker Siya Kolisi, who scored the second try, leading the charge the Springboks almost mirrored last weekend’s 37-14 win in Pretoria with centre Jan Serfontein and Coenie Oosthuizen crossing for one try in each half.
The last try came from fly-half Elton Jantjies who ended the game with a personal haul of 22 points, kicking all four conversions as well as three penalties.
France scored their two tries, through South Africaborn full-back Scott Spedding and centre Damian Penaud, at each end of the game while scrum-half Baptiste Serin landed a conversion and flyhalf François Trinh-Duc a penalty.
France were ahead after three minutes as Spedding managed to put the ball down just before going into touch after a big hit from Eben Etzebeth
Serin converted from the touchline but South Africa got on the board through the boot of Jantjies before some slick hands allowed Serfontein to edge them in front.
Kolisi’s try was a moment of magic with the explosive openside showing great dexterity to catch the ball millimetres off the ground as he intercepted a daring offload from TrindDuc at full speed and
sprinted under the posts.
Jantjies converted and then made it 23 unanswered points for the hosts with two penalties seeing them end the half 23-7 in front.
Desperate not to let the game slip away, France, who welcomed their Clermont and Toulon players after the Top14 final, tried to spark a comeback and they had the Springboks defence rocking.
But they never managed to find the last pass – like when Serin quickly tapped a penalty five metres from the line but failed to find support and threw a pass to the floor.
They settled with a penalty from Trinh-Duc but replacement prop Oosthuizen burst through for the hosts’ third try which sealed the win and the series with 15 minutes to go.
Highly-rated Clermont centre Penaud capped off a fine Test debut with a try late on, but South Africa had the last word as Jantjies ran under the posts untouched.