South Africa secure victory in Pretoria
South Africa defeated Scotland 42-28 in Pretoria, despite Scotland twice reducing significant deficits during the match. The fixture, part of the Nations Championship, saw the Springboks ultimately triumph through their physical play and clinical execution.
Scotland managed to secure a bonus point from tries scored by Matt Fagerson, Kyle Rowe, Josh Bayliss, and Ben White. The match marked Scotland’s first encounter with the Springboks in Pretoria since the 1995 Rugby World Cup and a 2013 quadrangular tournament, having played four Test matches at Loftus Versfeld previously.
Both teams had experienced victories in the opening round of the Nations Championship. Scotland achieved a record-breaking win against Argentina in Cordoba, while South Africa secured a victory over England at Ellis Park.
Team changes and key moments
South Africa made 11 changes to their squad for the match, while Scotland made three alterations. Finn Russell, Zander Fagerson, and Gregor Brown were all promoted to the starting line-up for Scotland. In a late change, Max Williamson replaced his injured club-mate Alex Samuel on the Scotland bench.
The match saw Rory Sutherland, the Glasgow Warriors prop, earn his 50th cap when he entered the game from the bench, leading both teams onto the field.
Early in the game, South Africa scored through scrum-half Embrose Papier in the 16th minute, converted by Handre Pollard, making the score 7-0. Shortly after, Evan Roos added another try in the 19th minute, also converted by Pollard, extending their lead to 14-0.
Scotland responded with Matt Fagerson’s try in the 33rd minute, converted by Russell, bringing the score to 14-7. Just before half-time, Kyle Rowe scored his eighth try for Scotland, with Russell converting to level the scores at 14-14 at the interval.
At the start of the second half, Rory Darge was replaced by Josh Bayliss after failing an HIA. South Africa’s Ben-Jason Dixon received a yellow card in the 41st minute following a TMO review for contact on Scott Cummings’ head.
South Africa regained the lead in the 57th minute with a try from substitute Elrigh Louw, converted by Pollard, making it 21-14. Damian Willemse then scored in the 60th minute, again converted by Pollard, pushing the score to 28-14. Replacement prop Zach Porten added another try for South Africa in the 66th minute, with Pollard maintaining his perfect conversion record, bringing the score to 35-14.
Scotland continued to fight back, with Josh Bayliss scoring his sixth try for the country in the 67th minute, converted by Russell, making it 35-21. Ben White then scored his tenth try for Scotland in the 70th minute, converted by Russell, narrowing the gap to 35-28.
However, Jesse Kriel scored South Africa’s sixth try in the 77th minute, converted by Quan Horn, sealing the 42-28 victory for the Springboks.
Player performances
Sione Tuipulotu, Scotland’s captain, was noted for his performance, leading the team for the full 80 minutes. He made 14 carries and achieved two clean breaks, gaining a match-high 72 metres.
Finn Russell was instrumental in Scotland’s attack, creating several try-scoring opportunities and successfully converting four kicks. Kyle Rowe also made a significant impact, gaining 54 metres, including two clean breaks, beating five defenders, and scoring a try in the first half.
Jack Dempsey contributed effectively in both attack and defence, gaining 44 metres and completing a joint team-high 15 tackles. Matt Fagerson, who scored a try, also made 15 tackles during his 60 minutes on the field. Ben White provided consistent service and scored a try in the closing moments of the game.
Among the replacements, Gregor Hiddleston, Max Williamson, Magnus Bradbury, and Josh Bayliss were noted for bringing energy to the team, particularly in the final quarter when Scotland was attempting to close the score gap.
Rory Hutchinson was replaced by Stafford McDowall in the 64th minute, and Jamie Dobie was replaced by Tom Jordan in the 68th minute.
South Africa’s team included Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, Damian Willemse, Ethan Hooker, Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier, Boan Venter, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Ruan Nortje, Paul de Villiers, Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain), and Evan Roos. Replacements included Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Zach Porthen, Ben-Jason Dixon, Vincent Tshituka, Elrigh Louw, Grant Williams, and Quan Horn.
The final score of the match was South Africa 42-28 Scotland.
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Source: scottishrugby.org
Freya Donnelly is the Sports Reporter at News-UK, covering tennis, cricket and athletics with seven years of reporting experience. She reported on Team GB through an Olympic cycle. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Brighton and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Brighton, she plays club cricket in the summer. “Listening is the most underrated skill in sports reporting.”
