Springbok debutantes, led by Salmaan Moerat in his first senior captaincy for the Springboks, stole the show in Bloemfontein as they thrashed Portugal in the Boks’ third test encounter.
Moerat led the least experienced Boks side to a 64-21 victory over Portugal on Saturday afternoon at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
The Springboks’ squad for the day featured seven debutantes, three of whom started the game—Phepsi Buthelezi, Johan Grobbelaar, and Jan-Hendrik Wessels—and four who made their debuts off the bench—Andre-Hugo Venter, Ruan Venter, Morne van de Berg, and Quan Horn.
It was a completely new squad, with only four players returning from the last squad that faced Ireland last weekend in Durban.
The Boks suffered a setback early in the game when their inside centre, Andre Esterhuizen, was issued a yellow card, which later was changed to a red card, keeping him on the sidelines for the entire game.
Despite that, the Boks showed physical superiority following a rocky start in which the visitors took the lead within the first 15 minutes of the match. However, the Boks showed grit and excellent decision-making both in and out of possession of the ball.
The Boks scored five tries in the first half, came back in the second half, and continued where they left off, scoring five more tries and achieving excellent conversions from utility back replacement Sacha Mngomezulu, who replaced the Boks’ fly-half, Manie Libbok.
Given how Portugal started the game, the result was really disappointing. They started the game with enormous zeal, blazing like a house on fire.
Highlights of the game.
- The seven Boks debutantes had an immense impact on the game, scoring four of the Boks’ ten tries.
- Lukhanyo Am, Manie Libbok, Trevor Nyakane, Thomas du Toit, and Cobus Reinach all made their first appearances since the 2023 World Cup in France.
- Salmaan blended so well into Siya Kolisi’s role as Springboks captain of the day, leading the team for the first time.
- Scotland’s Hollie Davidson became the first woman to referee a Springboks game.
