Kevin Foote and Siphosethu Mnebelele praised the grit of the Junior Springboks after guiding them to back-to-back Junior World Championship titles on Saturday. Leading France 6-0 at the break, the Junior Boks weathered heavy French pressure to secure their second straight crown with a 16-5 win in Tbilisi. “It means everything to us; it means everything to South Africa,” head coach Foote said. “South Africa is a very special place and we are very lucky to represent our people. “Right now, we’re just feeling incredibly grateful for the opportunity.” RECAP: Junior Boks go back to back The final, delayed by a lightning storm, tested the Junior Boks against a physical French side that surged for long periods. “We knew France were big, physical and they just kept coming at us,” Foote said.  “We had to soak up a lot of pressure, but the story of this team has been that they never give up.”  He credited his replacements for their impact off the bench, saying fresh legs at crucial moments had been a hallmark of the campaign. Mnebelele, who also won the title last year, said this group forged its own identity along the way. “This was a completely different team, different connections and a different journey,” the skipper said.  “One thing about this team is that we just keep grinding it out because of the care we have for each other. We talk about giving love on defence, giving love on attack, and doing it for the guy next to you and for the people back home.” World Champions for a third time South Africa defend their #JuniorWorldChampionship crown #SSRugby pic.twitter.com/ONelVN9Zdu — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 18, 2026 He also described how the squad handled the pre-match delay. “It was tough waiting because you prepare for a certain kick-off time and then suddenly you have to sit and wait.  “But this group is very adaptable. We made sure we stayed switched on and remained focused.” ALSO: Polly pulled hammy, Sacha back to tackle Pumas Watching the closing stages was nerve-wracking, he admitted. “I was incredibly nervous watching, but I was so happy the boys managed to get the result. Now we’re going to celebrate together.” The win gives South Africa a third Junior World Championship title, following 2012 and 2025. The squad returns home on Monday morning. Photo: Tamuna Kulumbegashvili/World Rugby The post Junior Bok champs ‘just kept grinding’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Rassie Erasmus has revealed a setback for playmaker Handré Pollard as the Springboks turn their attention to Argentina and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series next month. Erasmus was speaking post-match on Saturday at Kings Park, after the Boks’ 43-0 demolition of Wales to close out the first half of their Nations Championship campaign. He confirmed Pollard, Man of the Match against Scotland last week, is fit again after missing this week’s Test in Durban with a leg injury. “Handré pulled his hamstring; he’s fit now but he wasn’t fit for this game,” Erasmus said. ALSO: Boks get all-clear after Wales whitewash There was better news on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, sidelined for the whole Nations Championship with an ankle injury but expected to form part of a 26-man squad to face Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on 8 August. “We’ve got Sacha coming back now, he will go with the guys to Argentina,” Erasmus said. A separate group stays behind to begin preparing for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks, starting 22 August. MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge “Our plans will be for 26 guys to go to Argentina, and 15, 16 guys will stay behind, with one or two rehabbing, and they will start training for New Zealand,” Erasmus said. “A few coaches will stay with them. “Argentina is going to be tough – like Wales they’ve had our number a few times, and our biggest loss was to them since we’ve been together from 2018. We are just trying to build our game, and I think today was another step forward.” PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales Erasmus also gave his verdict on Vusi Moyo, who at 20 years and 27 days became the youngest flyhalf in Bok history against Wales. “He definitely played well,” the Bok boss said. “You could see there were nerves. “He’s an accurate kicker; kicks off well but you get into a Test match like this; with a lot of people in the crowd, the ball is wet and suddenly you don’t kick it into the corners and you don’t get your kick-offs on the spot. “I thought he handled it extremely well. But I’ve been there; in your first or second Test you’re tired because of the nerves and I thought his tyres were a little pap in the second half when we took him off.” Photo: Johan Rynners/Getty Images The post Polly pulled hammy, Sacha back to tackle Pumas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Rassie Erasmus has revealed a setback for playmaker Handré Pollard as the Springboks turn their attention to Argentina and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series next month. Erasmus was speaking post-match on Saturday at Kings Park, after the Boks’ 43-0 demolition of Wales to close out the first half of their Nations Championship campaign. He confirmed Pollard, Man of the Match against Scotland last week, is fit again after missing this week’s Test in Durban with a leg injury. “Handré pulled his hamstring; he’s fit now but he wasn’t fit for this game,” Erasmus said. ALSO: Boks get all-clear after Wales whitewash There was better news on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, sidelined for the whole Nations Championship with an ankle injury but expected to form part of a 26-man squad to face Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on 8 August. “We’ve got Sacha coming back now, he will go with the guys to Argentina,” Erasmus said. A separate group stays behind to begin preparing for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks, starting 22 August. MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge “Our plans will be for 26 guys to go to Argentina, and 15, 16 guys will stay behind, with one or two rehabbing, and they will start training for New Zealand,” Erasmus said. “A few coaches will stay with them. “Argentina is going to be tough – like Wales they’ve had our number a few times, and our biggest loss was to them since we’ve been together from 2018. We are just trying to build our game, and I think today was another step forward.” PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales Erasmus also gave his verdict on Vusi Moyo, who at 20 years and 27 days became the youngest flyhalf in Bok history against Wales. “He definitely played well,” the Bok boss said. “You could see there were nerves. “He’s an accurate kicker; kicks off well but you get into a Test match like this; with a lot of people in the crowd, the ball is wet and suddenly you don’t kick it into the corners and you don’t get your kick-offs on the spot. “I thought he handled it extremely well. But I’ve been there; in your first or second Test you’re tired because of the nerves and I thought his tyres were a little pap in the second half when we took him off.” Photo: Johan Rynners/Getty Images The post Polly crocked, Sacha back to tackle Pumas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Head coach Steve Tandy admitted Wales were no match for the power and precision of the Springboks in a “pretty one-sided” contest at Kings Park. A disappointed Tandy addressed the media after Wales’ 43-0 defeat to the Boks in Durban on Saturday, but praised his players for continuing to fight against the world champions. South Africa ran in seven unanswered tries in the Nations Championship rout, although the visitors stayed in the contest for long periods before the hosts pulled away after half-time. RECAP: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again “Bitterly disappointed with the scoreline,” Tandy said. “I commend the team for their effort, they stayed in the fight for large parts of the game. Probably a couple of moments right before half-time and straight after half-time that actually blows it out a bit more. “We probably could have been a little bit more accurate when we did get the one or two opportunities just over the half-hour mark. “There’s massive pride in our players with how hard they work and the effort they put in against the world champions.” Tandy conceded Wales battled for possession and territory, while South Africa’s strength and defensive pressure made life difficult throughout. “It was pretty one-sided when it came to us defending and getting the ball,” he said. “The one or two moments we did get an opportunity weren’t accurate enough… South Africa is physical at the breakdown. DE VILLIERS: Physicality won it for Boks “They’re a well-oiled defensive unit as well. So, there’s lots of things that we have to get better at and grow our game.” He also highlighted the Boks’ scrum dominance and tactical kicking. “We stopped a bit of their set-piece, but they built pressure at the set-piece; the scrum, you can’t run away from it.  “They squeeze you in and it’s probably hard to get some attacking momentum when those kicks are so accurate. Look, they’re absolutely a well-oiled machine with a huge depth.” MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge Despite failing to score, Tandy dismissed concerns over Wales’ attack: “No, I don’t think it’s a concern… You come up against the best team, probably one of the most physical in the world. “These are the experiences we have to go through unfortunately, but it’s something that we need to learn and grow from.” Wales now head into a three-month international break before regrouping to face Japan on 7 November in Cardiff, and Tandy expects his team to use the Bok defeat as another step in their development. “When you reflect on the year, we’ve had some really good moments and there’ve been some young players coming through. We’ve had some combinations. There’s lots of learning; we’ll recover, reflect and get ready to go come the autumn.” Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images The post Tandy: Wales squeezed by well-oiled machine appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Junior Springboks defended their Junior World Championship title with a hard-fought win against France U20 at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on Saturday night. South Africa triumphed 16-5 and could have won by an even bigger margin if not for several disallowed tries. Two penalty goals from flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed gave the Junior Boks a 6-0 lead at half-time of Saturday’s final, which was delayed by lightning, but France hit back early in the second half with an unconverted try from flank Raphael Audebert. The Junior Boks then withstood another fierce French onslaught, with the TMO unable to see a clear grounding, and won a penalty from the resultant scrum. South Africa thought they’d scored a try when replacement scrumhalf Jayden Brits’ kick was dropped by the French and substitute centre Samuel Badenhorst collected the loose ball. But the TMO quickly pointed out the knock-on. After a long-range France penalty-goal attempt fell short, the Junior Boks struck from a maul when replacement hooker Liam van Wyk offloaded to centre Markus Muller. Ahmed added the extras to make it 13-5. The Junior Boks celebrated again when winger Cheswill Jooste crossed the line with eight minutes remaining only for the TMO to spot a foot in touch. Ahmed was then denied a try when the match officials ruled he had jumped over a defender, but the flyhalf slotted a penalty to secure the win. In the third-place playoff, New Zealand beat England 41-26. The Junior Boks won the 2025 final, by beating New Zealand 23-15 in Italy last year. JUNIOR BOKS – Try: Markus Muller. Conversion: Yaqeen Ahmed. Penalties: Ahmed (3).FRANCE U20 – Try: Raphael Audebert. This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.

Rassie Erasmus has given his Springboks a clean bill of health after their commanding 43-0 victory over Wales at Kings Park. The injury-free outcome is one of the biggest positives from another convincing Test performance, in tricky conditions. The world champions ran in seven unanswered tries on a heavy and greasy Kings Park surface to back up last November’s 73-0 rout of Wales in Cardiff, but Erasmus was just as pleased to report that every player had come through the match unscathed. MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge “No injuries. I think it’s the first time after a game that we can say no injuries, so that’s good,” said the Bok coach. Erasmus also welcomed the response from his pack after identifying the scrum as an area that needed improvement following last week’s Test. “We weren’t really on our game when it came to the scrums last week. This week I thought it was good. “Our maul-stopping and our own mauling were good. That was something we wanted to get right. So we did have a lot of fixes and I’m happy about that.” PIETER-STEPH: Young Boks here to stay The Springboks’ forward dominance laid the platform for another comfortable victory, while their defence kept Wales scoreless for the full 80 minutes. Erasmus believes the performance showed clear progress, even if there are still areas that need attention. “It’s difficult to say how much we’ve learned, but it’s a Test match and I think a lot of guys came through it with tick marks. “In this game we learned that our defence was better than last week – we worked really hard on that – and our set-piece was really solid, but then we also had a lot of handling errors.” PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales The Bok coach added that several players looked more comfortable under the demands of Test rugby after gaining another opportunity in the green and gold. “I think some guys handled the pressure of Test match rugby a little bit better than we did last week.” The Boks get some time off to rest and recuperate before preparing for a tough assignment away to Los Pumas in Buenos Aires on 8 August. Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images The post Boks get all-clear after Wales whitewash appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Head coach Steve Tandy admitted Wales were no match for the power and precision of the Springboks in a “pretty one-sided” contest at Kings Park. A “bitterly disappointed” Tandy addressed the media after Wales’ 43-0 defeat to the Springboks in Durban on Saturday, but praised his players for continuing to fight against the world champions. South Africa ran in seven unanswered tries in the Nations Championship rout, although the visitors stayed in the contest for long periods before the hosts pulled away after half-time. RECAP: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again “Bitterly disappointed with the scoreline,” Tandy said. “I commend the team for their effort, they stayed in the fight for large parts of the game. Probably a couple of moments right before half-time and straight after half-time that actually blows it out a bit more. “We probably could have been a little bit more accurate when we did get the one or two opportunities just over the half-hour mark. “There’s massive pride in our players with how hard they work and the effort they put in against the world champions.” Tandy conceded Wales battled for possession and territory, while South Africa’s strength and defensive pressure made life difficult throughout. “It was pretty one-sided when it came to us defending and getting the ball,” he said. “The one or two moments we did get an opportunity weren’t accurate enough… South Africa is physical at the breakdown. DE VILLIERS: Physicality won it for Boks “They’re a well-oiled defensive unit as well. So, there’s lots of things that we have to get better at and grow our game.” He also highlighted the Boks’ scrum dominance and tactical kicking. “We stopped a bit of their set-piece, but they built pressure at the set-piece; the scrum, you can’t run away from it.  “They squeeze you in and it’s probably hard to get some attacking momentum when those kicks are so accurate. “Look, they’re absolutely a well-oiled machine with a huge depth.” MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge Despite failing to score, Tandy dismissed concerns over Wales’ attack: “No, I don’t think it’s a concern… You come up against the best team, probably one of the most physical in the world. “These are the experiences we have to go through unfortunately, but it’s something that we need to learn and grow from.” Wales now head into a three-month international break before regrouping to face Japan on 7 November in Cardiff, and Tandy expects his team to use the Bok defeat as another step in their development. “When you reflect on the year, we’ve had some really good moments and there’ve been some young players coming through. We’ve had some combinations. There’s lots of learning; we’ll recover, reflect and get ready to go come the autumn.” Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images The post Tandy: We got squeezed by well-oiled machine appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Junior Springboks defended their Junior World Championship title with a hard-fought win against France U20 at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi. South Africa triumphed 16-5 and could have won by an even bigger margin if not for several disallowed tries. Two penalty goals from flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed gave the Junior Boks a 6-0 lead at half-time of Saturday’s final, which was delayed by lightning, but France hit back early in the second half with an unconverted try from flank Raphael Audebert. The Junior Boks then withstood another fierce French onslaught, with the TMO unable to see a clear grounding, and won a penalty from the resultant scrum. South Africa thought they’d scored a try when replacement scrumhalf Jayden Brits’ kick was dropped by the French and substitute centre Samuel Badenhorst collected the loose ball. But the TMO quickly pointed out the knock-on. After a long-range France penalty-goal attempt fell short, the Junior Boks struck from a maul when replacement hooker Liam van Wyk offloaded to centre Markus Muller. Ahmed added the extras to make it 13-5. Markus Muller comes in clutch The Junior Boks extend their lead over France at a critical time Stream #JuniorWorldChampionship on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/2RdqYzd6EI — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 18, 2026 The Junior Boks celebrated again when winger Cheswill Jooste crossed the line with eight minutes remaining only for the TMO to spot a foot in touch. Ahmed was then denied a try when the match officials ruled he had jumped over a defender, but the flyhalf slotted a penalty to secure the win. ALSO: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again In the third-place playoff, New Zealand beat England 41-26. JUNIOR BOKS – Try: Markus Muller. Conversion: Yaqeen Ahmed. Penalties: Ahmed (3). FRANCE U20 – Try: Raphael Audebert.  Photo: Levan Verdzeuli/World Rugby The post Junior Boks go back to back appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Springboks beat Wales 43-0 in a Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday, scoring seven tries to nil. It was a third straight win in the competition for Rassie Erasmus’ team. This is how The Citizen rated the performance of the Bok players, out of 10. Aphelele Fassi 6: He made the odd good run and kicked well enough, but his handling let him down at times. Didn’t ever really get into the game. Left the action in the 60th minute. Jaco Williams 8: He showed determination chasing kicks. He contested well in the air from a Vusi Moyo cross-kick which led to Jesse Kriel’s try, while he also made the assist for Herschel Jantjies’ try, and scored a try himself. Jesse Kriel 7: He put in some excellent tackles and marshalled the defence well. He scored a try after good work by Williams on the touchline. He made a few good runs on attack. A solid outing. Damian de Allende 6: It was a Test where, for once, the inside centre didn’t have too much to do. He put in some tackles and carried well on occasion and cleaned rucks, but it was a quiet day out for the veteran star. Kurt-Lee Arendse 7: He chased kicks and contested well in the air at times, but it was also a game where the action just didn’t go to his side. He got a few chances on attack in the second half, finishing off one for a great try. Vusi Moyo 7: He didn’t do badly on debut, but seemed a little unsure and hesitant at times. Carried hard on occasion, and made some good line kicks. His cross kick to the wing led to Kriel scoring a try. Off in the 47th minute. Cobus Reinach 9: An excellent all-round performance. He kicked well and chased hard, he tackled strongly and asked questions with ball in hand. He made a strong run for a try and played a part in Williams scoring a try on debut. Jasper Wiese 8: Another strong, statement performance by the big No 8. He carried regularly and often over the gainline. Was a real presence in the rucks and mauls. Was subbed in the 54th minute. Pieter-Steph du Toit 7: Like many of his team-mates, this was a quieter performance for the blindside flanker. He got better as the game went on, with some big carries, cleans and tackles. Took the odd lineout ball. Paul de Villiers 8: A third straight start for the rookie and another sound performance. He made some good carries, tackled hard and won breakdown penalties. He also scored a try from a lineout maul. Ruben van Heerden 8: A fabulous debut by the lock. He worked his socks off for 80 minutes, busying himself all over the field. He was solid as the main lineout option and excelled in this area. Cobus Wiese 7: The best Test yet by the big utility man. He made several big, powerful carries and showed good vision to offload for Williams’ try. A statement outing. Carlü Sadie 8: A wonderful first Test for the hard-working prop. He scrummed excellently, winning his team several penalties, but was busy all over the field. Made some big tackles as well. Malcolm Marx 7: His lineout throwing was spot on this week, finding his jumper on just about every occasion. He also once again won a breakdown penalty. Contributed greatly to a powerful scrumming effort. Gerhard Steenekamp 8: He put in a huge shift … his scrum effort was massive, but he also threw himself around the field, making tackles and carries. Probably his best Test yet. Bench 7: André-Hugo Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw made an impact with their mobility, tackles and set-piece work when they entered the action. Ben-Jason Dixon was solid, while Marco van Staden made a few big carries. Herschel Jantjies’ service was swift, his sniping runs caused problems, one of which led to a try. Manie Libbok was a calming force … his line kicking was good and distribution sound, with a long pass leading to Arendse scoring a try. Damian Willemse brought energy and calm to the backline, while his stepping runs and comfort under the high ball eased any nerves.

Live rugby union updates from 8.10pm BST/4.10pm ARTRobert Kitson’s view of England 1-2 ArgentinaEmail Lee | Sign up for the BreakdownAt what point is this match going to produce something resembling a fight? And who will be starting it? Let me know on the email. You can also send other things in, up to you.Argentina Santiago Carreras; Bautista Delguy, Matías Moroni, Justo Piccardo, Mateo Carreras; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya, Tomás Rapetti; Guido Petti, Matías Alemanno, Santiago Grondona, Marcos Kremer, Joaquín Oviedo. Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Boris Wenger, Pedro Delgado, Efraín Elías, Pablo Matera, Joaquín Moro, Simón Benítez Cruz, Lucio Cinti. Continue reading...

Captain Pieter-Steph du Toit believes the Springboks’ latest crop of emerging players will be wearing the green and gold for years to come. The world champions claimed a 43-0 Nations Championship victory over Wales at Kings Park, with debutants Vusi Moyo, Jaco Williams, Carlü Sadie and Ruben van Heerden putting in impressive performances. RECAP: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again While pleased with the result, Du Toit said the Boks’ satisfaction came from executing the key areas they had targeted during the week. “We came into this game with a plan and we tried to focus on the set-phases – especially the scrum and lineout. “I think our defence was good in stages as well, so we can be happy up to a certain point, especially having ticked some of the boxes we wanted to tick.” DE VILLIERS: Physicality won it for Boks The victory provided another glimpse of the depth Rassie Erasmus is building, with several younger players producing eye-catching performances alongside the squad’s established stars. Du Toit believes the newcomers have shown they belong at Test level. “The way they played today, there are some guys putting their hands up and I think a few of them are going to wear the jersey for a long time.” MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge Competition for places has become a hallmark of the Springboks under Erasmus, with every player knowing consistent performances are needed to stay in the Bok picture in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup. For Du Toit, that internal battle is one of the squad’s greatest strengths. “It’s wonderful. We love competition, especially knowing that the team’s going to go forward,” he said. “We always push each other and always want the best guy to play on a Saturday.” PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images The post Pieter-Steph: Young Boks here to stay appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Springboks scored seven tries and didn’t concede a point as they beat Wales 43-0 in a Nations Championship match at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. It was a third straight win by the Boks in the new competition and their 11th Test victory in a row. They next face Argentina in a friendly game away and then turn their attention to the All Blacks in four Tests in the Greatest Rivalry series. Here are six key takeaways from Saturday’s Boks win against Wales in Durban. Scrum power The Boks’ renowned scrum power was on full display throughout the clash, as they dominated the Wales front eight in the set-piece. Debutant Carlu Sadie and prop mate Gerhard Steenekamp, assisted by Malcolm Marx in the middle, scrummed with force and power. But it was a pack effort. They won several scrum penalties and at times pushed Wales off their own ball. Add in Wilco Louw, Ox Nche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zachary Porthen, Thomas du Toit and Boan Venter and the Boks are a force to be reckoned with. Not much reward from high kicks The Boks have become something of a force in the game when it comes to contesting high, hanging kicks. Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse, the first-choice back three, have mastered the art. On Saturday, debutant Jaco Williams worked hard and chased strongly, as did Aphelele Fassi and Arendse, but the Boks didn’t get the reward and return they usually do. Rookie No 10 Vusi Moyo’s high kicks also weren’t as accurate as those of Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard. Silly Bok errors For some reason, the Boks produced an uncharacteristic scrappy and error-ridden performance. They just never got into rhythm and never built up any momentum and impressive phase play. They made plenty handling errors, in general play, at the back, and in the mauls, which possibly cost them a few tries. The offloading and passing also wasn’t as spot on as it usually is. The Boks were fortunate that Wales didn’t punish them for this sloppiness at times. It is something Rassie Erasmus will look into before the All Blacks Tests. Bok debutants Jaco Williams tried hard to get stuck in; he chased the high kicks, jumped for the ball and chased long punts, with little reward. His timing was possibly just off on a few occasions. But he made some nice offloads and scored a try on debut. Vusi Moyo did nothing wrong and contributed nicely at times; he has a bright future. Carlu Sadie scrummed well and got around the field making tackles, while Ruben van Heerden was a colossus in the lineouts, taking several balls. He was also very busy in the loose. Depth at No 9 is unreal This was the third match in a row that the Boks had a different scrumhalf in the No 9 jersey … Grant Williams started against England, Embrose Papier started against Scotland and against Wales Cobus Reinach was in charge. All three men delivered knockout performances. Reinach was very good on Saturday in Durban. And Herschel Jantjies, back in the side after eight years, came on from the bench and also played really well, scoring a try to boot. And Morne van den Berg and Jaden Hendrikse are currently injured. It’s a stacked position. Wales concern Not that too many South Africans will be bothered by the performance of Wales, but they must be wondering how they are ever going to get to a point again where they will challenge the Boks. They tried hard on Saturday, had a few moments when they put some phases together, but they hardly threw a punch. They were out-played in most departments. In two Tests now against the Boks, they have conceded 73 points (in Cardiff last November) and 43 points in Durban on Saturday, without scoring themselves. They have much work to do.

For the second time in less than a year, the Springboks thrashed Wales, to close out the first half of their Nations Championship campaign in Durban on a high. The Boks scored seven tries at Kings Park without reply to blank Wales 43-0, with debutants Vusi Moyo and Jaco Williams among the scorers. It also follows a 73-0 hammering of the Welsh in Cardiff last November. MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge No 8 Jasper Wiese barged through three defenders for the opening try, allowing Moyo to split the uprights for his first points in Test rugby.  The Bok scrum then took control, earning a 5m put-in that scrumhalf Cobus Reinach finished off himself, bringing up his 100th Test point in green and gold.  Outside centre Jesse Kriel’s try on the stroke of half-time sent the hosts into the changing room 19-0 up on the scoreboard. PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales Right wing Williams marked his bow with the Boks’ bonus-point score soon after the restart, before replacement scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies – back in the fold for the first time since 2023 – added a fifth.  Speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse and flanker Paul de Villiers, who scooped the Man of the Match award in only his third Test, completed the rout in the closing stages. Vusi Moyo’s crosskick creates the opportunity Jesse Kriel goes over for his third try in three matches Stream #NationsChampionship on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/F8NFllTxAh — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 18, 2026 Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, however, would have had words for his men at the break, with several scoring opportunities passed up through handling errors despite the Boks’ dominance up front, a trend that continued into the second half and denied the hosts an even heavier margin. The result continues the South Africans’ dominance over Wales, who have won just once in 13 previous meetings on home soil. RATE THE REF: Andrew Brace Having already beaten England and Scotland in their opening two Nations Championship Tests, the Boks now have a two-week break before facing Los Pumas in Argentina on 8 August. Wales will next be in action against Japan at the Principality Stadium on 7 November. KEO: All Blacks very good as Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour hots up SPRINGBOKS – Tries: Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Jesse Kriel, Jaco Williams, Herschel Jantjies, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Paul de Villiers. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (3), Manie Libbok.  Photo: @Springboks/X The post Seven-try Boks blank Wales again appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Paul de Villiers believes the Springboks’ uncompromising physicality was the foundation for their emphatic 43-0 victory over Wales at Kings Park on Saturday. The world champions dominated from the outset, running in seven unanswered tries to follow up last November’s 73-0 demolition of Wales in Cardiff with another one-sided display. REPORT: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again Despite the convincing scoreline, Man of the Match De Villiers felt the slippery conditions prevented the Springboks from being even more clinical. “We wanted to bring our physicality and I thought we did that in the set-piece, in our carries and in our defence,” he said. “The ball was a bit wet, which slowed us down a bit and obviously cost us a bit of execution, especially in the 22.” The loose forward said the Boks had targeted the collision areas all week and were pleased with how they imposed themselves. “We wanted to be physical, we wanted to give our presence especially in our scrums and in our mauls and in our defence, and I thought we did that well.” MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge South Africa’s scrum again proved a major weapon, with both the starting pack and the replacements making life tough for the visitors. De Villiers reserved special praise for scrum coach Daan Human and the impact made by the Bomb Squad. “Credit to the coaches, credit to coach Daan and also the bench that came on and just kept going forward and kept it going from where we left off in the first half.” The victory also marked memorable Test debuts for flyhalf Vusi Moyo and wing Jaco Williams, who both crossed for tries as another wave of newcomers made an immediate impression in green and gold. Tighthead prop Carlü Sadie and lock Ruben van Heerden also put in strong debut performances. PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales According to De Villiers, the Springboks’ culture makes it easy for new players to settle into the squad. “The environment they’re creating here is such where the guys who’ve been here longer almost take us in, make us feel comfortable and let us do our thing and let us play with our talents – and that’s awesome.” Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images The post De Villiers: Physicality won it for Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.