A Springbok star is born
Debutant scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies got an ovation last night
SOUTH AFRICA (14) 35
Tries: Herschel Jantjies (2), Lood de Jager, S’bu Nkosi, Cobus Reinach. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (5)
AUSTRALIA (10) 17
Tries: Dane Haylett-Petty, Bernard Foley. Conversions: Bernard Foley (2). Penalty: Foley.
By LIAM DEL CARME
at Ellis Park
● Rassie Erasmus took a calculated gamble and it paid off as the Boks warmed hearts on a frosty evening last night.
In selecting his playing personnel this week the Springbok coach firmly set their gaze on the horizon but before proceedings began fallen heroes were remembered.
Johnny Clegg was remembered in song, while there was a moment’s silence for one of the Rainbow Warriors, James Small.
Small would have been proud of this performance. The player who best invoked his full-throttle approach was debutant scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies, who left the field amid rapturous applause. He walked into the warm embrace of everyone on or around the Bok bench. He scored two tries and a star was born.
This of course was a much changed Bok line-up as Erasmus rested players for next week’s pressing engagement with the All Blacks.
His starting team featured a record eight black players and the coach, who barely mentioned the fact this week, would have felt vindicated.
While the rust of the first Test of the season was evident the Bok pack laid the platform for this victory. Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit were huge but it was in the scrums where the hosts established a clear advantage. Tendai Mtawarira, Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane were the first line of Bok assault on the Aussies and they seemed to relish it.
The Boks almost routinely slipped the Wallaby scrum into reverse gear and from it they benefited richly by earning a slew of penalties.
Mtawarira and Nyakane made a strong case for selection next week when the Boks play the All Blacks in Wellington but that is a selection conundrum coach Erasmus would much rather have.
Behind the at times marauding pack, debutant scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies proved a livewire and it was perhaps fitting that he delivered the first blow.
The Boks got on the board in the 11th minute after a turnover thanks to sterling work by Mbonambi and Francois Louw around their 10m line. They hit to the right with Elton Jantjies showing his dexterity before S’bu Nkosi suddenly found himself in space. He ran clear of an attempted ankle tap before finding an unmarked Herschel Jantjies ranging on his inside and the scrumhalf sprinted clear for his debut try under the sticks. Thankfully, Herschel didn’t drop the ball at the critical moment.
For the Boks second try the scrumhalf and Du Toit proved wonderfully adept at reversing roles. It involved Du Toit delivering a deft chip after he ran onto the ball at speed. After he ran into the defender it was up to Herschel Jantjies to collect the bouncing ball and the 1.67m scrumhalf successfully reached one-handed for the ball. He was tackled in the nick of time but from the ensuing ruck Lood de Jager put his 2.05m frame to maximum use to score.
While Herschel Jantjies was in the thick of things the Boks’ other debutant, flank Rynhardt Elstadt, made a rather inglorious start to his Test career. He seemed to injure his right shoulder in a tackle in the opening exchanges, and it seriously limited his impact.
Twice the Boks were fortunate in the first half and the Wallabies were left to rue those missed opportunities.
The Boks finished the match well in control and they will wing their way to New Zealand with a spring in their step.