Kevin van der Berg's verdict on the Durban Test is brutally honest: a collective C-grade performance from a team that imposed itself physically but never maintained the intensity to match. The comfort of a dominant early lead, combined with Wales's near-total absence of threat — just 42 attack metres in the first half — produced the same stop-start pattern that's defined this Nations Championship campaign. Van der Berg picks out the positives individually: debutant tighthead Carlu Sadie was destructive at scrum, lock Ruben van Heerden showed a Matfield-like calm at the lineout, and Cobus Reinach earns man-of-the-match honours for his scrum pressure and electric attack. But the collective was undone by 11 first-half handling errors and a team that banked the bonus point by the 42nd minute and mentally clocked off. The broader takeaway, though, is that Erasmus got what he came for across the three July Tests — game time, new combinations, three wins, and Nations Championship league leadership heading south.
Reinach the standout as Boks cruise past Wales — but sloppiness dogs another Nations Championship performance
A sharp match review that gives the Boks a C collectively but finds genuine individual merit — Sadie, Van Heerden, and Reinach in particular — while noting that Erasmus's July objectives were met despite the inconsistent execution.
- Wales
- Cobus Reinach
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- Nations Championship
Smith vows England will 'leave it all out there' against Springboks
Marcus Smith says England's 36-man squad, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, are targeting a historic win over the Springboks in the Nations Championship opener, having trained in oxygen masks to prepare for the Highveld.
Erasmus warns Boks: England bring youth, experience and tactical unpredictability to Ellis Park
Rassie Erasmus has praised England's touring squad as young, experienced and tactically unpredictable ahead of the Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park on 4 July, while Siya Kolisi returns as captain for a fixture that marked his first Test captaincy in 2018.
Contepomi: Boks have cracked the balance — and that's what makes them dangerous
Contepomi argues the Boks' real danger lies in their evolving balance between forward dominance and expansive attack — and flags sustained possession as the best way to exploit their defence.
So how deep is the Springbok squad?
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Rassie on Alles Ep 1 | The Barbarians in the Bay
The #Springboks kick off their season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha, a place close to the hearts of Rassie Erasmus, Mzwandile Stick, and Deon Davids. The three Bok coaches discuss why it's special to return to the Eastern Cape and what