Springboks vs Portugal Test: Bok's victory wasn't straightforward
While the result may have been predictable, what wasn’t expected was how Portugal started the game and gave a good account of themselves for most of the match.
The Springboks ran in 10 tries as they beat Portugal 64-21 in their historic once-off test in Bloemfontein on 20 July 2024. Picture: @Springboks on X
BLOEMFONTEIN - The Springboks ran in 10 tries as they beat Portugal 64-21 in their historic once-off test in Bloemfontein.
While the result may have been predictable, what wasn’t expected was how Portugal started the game and gave a good account of themselves for most of the match.
The world champions were put on the back foot early on as referee Hollie Davidson, who became the first woman to referee a game featuring South Africa had to make a big decision.
Centre Andre Esterhuizen was given a yellow card in the third minute for a dangerous tackle - that card was changed to red after a review.
The one-man advantage seemed to have positively affected the visitors as they grew in confidence and threw the ball out wide and spent lengthy periods camped in the Boks’ 22.
They soon took a surprise lead in the tenth minute as Jose Paiva dos Santos scored a breakaway try to give the fervent Portuguese fans in attendance something to cheer about.
The capacity crowd of 42,686 at the Free State stadium was treated to a terrific display of test rugby as the Boks had to fight back to overcome their slow start.
It took a while for the Springboks to impose themselves in the game and did so from the mauls and in the breakdowns – resulting in two tries in quick succession from Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Phepsi Buthelezi, who were both making their debuts.
World Cup winner Kurt-Lee Arendse went over for a try in the corner in the 25th minute after some great work from Aphelele Fassi to beat a couple of defenders before kicking a well-weighted chip that he latched on to.
Despite being a man down, the Boks began to put together some phases and while flyhalf Manie Libbok wasn’t at his best when kicking at goal, his direction of the Bok attack was a marvel. Ben-Jason Dixon, who had an outstanding game, and Lukhanyo Am also scored to make it 29-7 at the break.
The Boks had to start the second half with 13 men after Arendse was yellow-carded for illegally clearing out at the maul. Wing Makazole Mapimpi scored twice soon after half-time as the home team started to kick into gear and looked more like a cohesive unit as the match went on.
The introduction of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu spurred the team on as they began to run away on the scoreboard.
Portugal could score two more tries of their own but Quan Horn and Andre-Hugo Venter scored on their first international appearances as well while Mapimpi completed his hat trick on the stroke of full-time to give the Boks the victory.
While the 43-point difference on the scoreboard might suggest a comprehensive victory, it wasn’t as straightforward as that for the world champions.
Attention now turns to next month’s rugby championship with the Bok squad to play in that competition to be named on Tuesday.