Last week, the Springboks dazzled us with some flashy new moves against Italy, but this time around, they decided to keep their playbook under wraps and steamroll right over Georgia with a thunderous 55-10 win. It’s like they swapped a magic wand for a sledgehammer in Mbombela!
Despite a rocky start with Georgia's Vano Karkadze breaking through early, the Boks quickly regrouped. Debutants Boan Venter and Marnus van der Merwe bulldozed their way over the line, setting the tone for what was about to be a relentless forward assault. The first half saw additional tries from Canan Moodie and another from Van der Merwe, hinting that maybe, just maybe, the Boks were easing off the gas. But no, Edwill van der Merwe came out after the break to pop over an easy one, thanks to Grant Williams' slick pass.
The game might have gotten a bit scrappy later on, but South Africa wasn't done. They cranked up the pressure in the final stretch as Van der Merwe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Handre Pollard each crossed the whitewash, pushing the score beyond the half-century mark.
"We wanted to keep things simple and focus on what we do best. It paid off well today,"
admitted a clearly pleased Rassie Erasmus after the game.Despite the clear dominance in the scoreline, the game wasn't without its challenges. Georgia put up a solid fight early on, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s missed conversions left some points on the field, adding a slight edge to the proceedings for a moment. However, South Africa quickly recalibrated and continued to exploit their physical advantage through relentless mauling and scrum dominance.
By the time the whistle blew, it was clear that the Boks were sending a message as they head into the Rugby Championship on the back of consecutive demolitions of their opponents. While they might have kept the trick plays in the locker this time, the sheer force of their traditional game was more than enough to underline their status as a rugby powerhouse.
As they wrapped up, Erasmus noted,