Share

Boks put Namibia to the sword

Albany - Defending champions South Africa broke their own Rugby World Cup points record with an 87-0 blitz of doughty Namibia to all but seal a place in the quarter-finals at North Harbour on Thursday.

Gallery: Boks trounce Namibia

The Springboks didn't quite replicate their landslide 105-13 win of their African neighbours four years ago but they still finished with 12 tries, seven of them coming in the final 20 minutes as the floodgates opened.

It was a night of milestones with the Springboks bettering their previous record winning RWC margin of 66 points against Uruguay in 2003.

South Africa also equalled their own record run of 10 unbeaten games at the World Cup and former IRB Player of the Year Bryan Habana set a new Springbok tryscoring record with his 39th career try.

Winger Gio Aplon, replacement back Juan de Jongh and scrumhalf Francois Hougaard all scored try doubles with flyhalf Morne Steyn finishing with 20 points.

"Pretty pleased, making progress. In the first forty we got stuck into a few bad habits. But we refocused at half-time, switched our game and got into a bit more shape. We needed the game time," said Springboks skipper John Smit.

The Namibians gave it a crack and held the Springboks to 31-0 at halftime before the effort told and their defensive line cracked wide open.

South Africa moved to 14 points at the top of Pool D, eight ahead of Samoa and nine ahead of Wales, needing only one more point in their final group game against Samoa next week to clinch a berth in the last eight.

The Springboks have now totted up 153 points in their three games at the World Cup and are moving ominously into form ahead of a likely quarter-final with Australia.

Habana finally overtook Joost van der Westhuizen to establish a new Springbok tryscoring record with his team's second try in the 22nd minute.

Right winger Aplon, who proved a handful for Namibia, scored the opening try after seven minutes helped by centres Jaque Fourie and Frans Steyn.

But the Springbok scoring was stalled by dropped ball and wayward lineout throws until Habana scooted clear after a great cut-out pass from lock Danie Rossouw.

The Springbok pack was relentless with loosehead Gurthro Steenkamp prominent and were awarded a penalty try in the 30th minute after attempts for a pushover try.

Fourie extended his Springbok record for most career tries as a centre to 28 when he scored off a clever Frans Steyn offload. Fourie has now scored nine RWC tries.

Fourie's try claimed South Africa a scoring bonus point and a 31-0 halftime lead.

Namibia had their moments in the opening half none more than blindside flank Tinus du Plessis punching through the Springbok line twice, while wing Heini Bock took play deep into the Springbok half in a rare excursion.

The impressive Frans Steyn crossed nine minutes after the interval off a Pierre Spies offload and Morne Steyn's conversion pushed the Boks to a 38-0 lead.

Morne Steyn's last act was to convert his own 60th-minute try from the sideline for seven out of seven kicks before he was replaced along with Frans Steyn and Steenkamp.

He finished with 20 points from a try, six conversions and a penalty.

The tries began to flow late in the half as the Namibians tired with Aplon nabbing his second and replacement De Jongh and Hougaard helping themselves to doubles.

Teams:

South Africa:

15 Pat Lambie, 14 Gio Aplon, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Willem Alberts, 5 Danie Rossouw, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 John Smit (captain), Gurthro Steenkamp.

Substitutes: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Francois Louw, 19 Heinrich Brüssow, 20 Fourie du Preez, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Juan de Jongh.

Namibia:
15 Chrysander Botha, 14 Danie Dames, 13 Danie van Wyk, 12 Piet van Zyl, 11 Heine Bock, 10 Theuns Kotze, 9 Eugene Jantjies, 8 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 7 Jacques Burger (c), 6 Tinus du Plessis, 5 Nico Esterhuyse, 4 Heinz Koll, 3 Marius Visser, 2 Bertus O'Callaghan, 1 Johnnie Redelinghuys

Substitutes: 16 Hugo Horn, 17 Jané du Toit, 18 Pieter Jan van Lill, 19 Rohan Kitshoff, 20 Ryan de la Harpe, 21 Darryl de la Harpe, 22 Conrad Marais

* Click HERE for the latest RWC odds on BET.CO.ZA
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE