- Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber admitted England’s examination was a stern one despite their comfortable 27-13 win at Twickenham on Saturday.
- The Boks recorded their first at the ground since 2014 and did so despite playing the last 20 minutes a man short.
- Nienaber was happy with how they’ve been building depth through the tour.
In London
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber admitted they needed to get their rugby affairs in order to see off England’s stern challenge at Twickenham on Saturday.
They did so through an emphatic 27-13 win, a success that broke a six-year losing spell at Twickenham and gave the Boks a satisfying end to a tour that promised a fair bit at the start, but only really delivered at the end.
What will be remembered is that the Boks recorded a 27th win against England in 45 Tests and did so in a comprehensive manner.
Nienaber admitted to being tense and concerned about how England fought back from 25-6 down to draw against the All Blacks last week.
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However, the Boks, with a calculated and shrewd defensive resilience, despite conceding a late Henry Slade try, ensured lightning wouldn’t strike twice despite having Thomas du Toit sent off on the hour mark.
“It was a stern challenge and we needed to get our stuff right on the day,” Nienaber said.
“I don’t even know what the scoreline was, but it was a humdinger for me right up until the end. We all saw what England is capable of last week.
“They came back well last week and from a coaching box perspective, we knew they had the ability in them.
“You’re never comfortable and we actually pushed hard to get territory and another score because we felt it was a bit too close.”
The Test match took place outside of the international window, meaning the Boks were robbed of their European-based players.
This was something Nienaber was prepared for and to an extent, happy about as it presented an opportunity for depth testing in a high-pressured environment.
The Boks warhorses like Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth (who scored), delivered blue chip performances.
There also were more than adequate showings from Marvin Orie while there’s depth in Salmaan Moerat while the likes of RG Snyman and Lood de Jager recover from their injuries.
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“There are guys who are knocking on the door, but I thought Franco, Eben, and Marvin were outstanding today,” Nienaber said.
“We still have guys like RG, Salmaan, and Lood, who wasn’t available, so we have nice competition and it’s nice to give guys an opportunity in a big game like this.
“It was always good to see how the guys handled the pressure in a hostile environment.”
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