Springboks rout Barbarians despite wet Cape Town weather to start season with a bang

The Springboks started their season off in fine fashion, finding little effort to dispatch the Barbarians on Saturday evening in Cape Town.

They scored eight tries en route to a 54-7 victory in a wet and windy DHL Stadium. Despite the weather, which didn’t always allow for an entertaining clash, especially in the first half, the Boks were full value for their first victory of 2025.

Flanker Vincent Tshituka led the scoring for the Springboks and picked up a double on debut in a match that he won’t forget. However, it was returning lock Lood de Jager who stole the show with a near-perfect performance. He last played almost two years ago in the Green and Gold, but on Saturday it definitely did not look that way.

The lock ruled the lineouts and had the Barbarians under real pressure in that department. He put his body on the line with some massive tackles and carries at the start. For his efforts, he was rewarded with a try in his return and capped off a brilliant match in tough conditions.

Although the conditions made things difficult, both sides tried to entertain the over 40 000 spectators in the Mother City. They were able to do so at times, mostly the home side, as they put together some good moves on the attack; their rolling maul was strong and laid the platform for some tries, including the opening score.

Fullback Aphelele Fassi, with his right and left foot, kicked the grubbers that led to the maul try, while winger Cheslin Kolbe was on hand to dive over when he rolled a grubber through in the right-hand corner. Fassi was instrumental in a few plays in the first half and can be happy with his overall game.

It was expected that the weather conditions would impact the Baabaas and they hardly saw the ball in the opening 15 minutes. They also couldn’t get into the game in the first 40 minutes.

Their lineouts didn’t work, and they struggled to find jumpers at times, while also failing to hold onto passes.

In the second half, replacement loosehead Jan-Hendrik Wessels, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, De Jager, Tshituka and powerful centre Damian de Allende scored the five-pointers.

De Allende’s try came after time was up on the clock and showed that the Springboks came to play rugby.

Erasmus will be happy with the intensity of all his players, especially on defence and with how they dominated possession for most of the clash.

The starting front row of Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Malcolm Marx and Ox Nche scrummed well in the first 40 minutes. However, the Baabaas looked a bit strong in the second half against South Africa’s more inexperienced scrummagers who were sent on as part of a massive eight-man Bomb Squad by Erasmus. When they ran on, the crowd gave a massive cheer.

That bench sparked the game into life and after 44 minutes of rugby, and as the rain came down, the tiredness kicked in for the visiting side. They couldn’t stop the attacks that the Boks produced and struggled in almost every facet of the game.  That try by fullback Melvin Jaminet saved them from getting a zero and leaving Cape Town with a Boks ‘babelas’.

The victory will lay a perfect platform on which the world champions can build the rest of their season. They tested some new players, and they passed with flying colours. Players could properly dust off the rust after almost half a year of no Bok rugby.

There are plenty of things to work on still, but all in all, it’s a good start to a tough season for the Springboks.

Points scorers

Springboks 45 (19): Tries: Malcolm Marx, Cheslin Kolbe, Vincent Tshituka (2), Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Lood de Jager, Damian de Allende. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2), Manie Libbok (5). Barbarians 7 (0): Try: Melvyn Jaminet. Conversion: Jaminet.