South Africa 'A' defeated Zimbabwe 40–0 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday, crossing for six tries in a performance that showcased a clutch of emerging talent drawn largely from the 2025 Junior Bok squad.
The hosts led 21–0 at the interval after Yaqeen Ahmed, Markus Müller and Haashim Pead — all converted — but the margin might have been greater had TMO intervention not ruled out two first-half efforts from left wing Zekhethelo Siyaya. Siyaya was then forced from the field just before the break after taking an accidental knock to the head at the base of a ruck, replaced by Jurenzo Julius.
Ahmed, who had converted all three first-half tries, was yellow-carded early in the second half for making contact with Zimbabwean fullback Tapiwa Mafura contesting a high ball — a sanction subsequently upgraded on review to a 20-minute red card.
Despite playing a man down, SA 'A' continued to press. Replacement scrumhalf Nico Steyn, on for 2025 SA Rugby Young Men's Player of the Year Pead, made an immediate impact by sniping from a ruck to score the fourth try, converted by Luan Giliomee. Imad Khan then capitalised on soft defence around the fringes to extend the lead to 35–0, with Giliomee adding the extras. Jaco Williams rounded off the scoring in the closing minute, gathering a loose kick and using his pace to finish in the corner.
There were some lineout concerns, with hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele and his jumpers struggling for co-ordination at times before shifting to a more effective shorter lineout option. Zimbabwe showed defensive resilience throughout and enjoyed a stronger second-half period at scrum time, though handling errors undermined their ability to threaten the SA 'A' line.
Scorers — SA 'A' 40 (21): Tries: Ahmed, Müller, Pead, Steyn, Khan, Williams. Conversions: Ahmed (3), Giliomee (2). Zimbabwe 0.