Boks put Dragons to the sword
Backline inspired by a magical performance from Le Roux
WILLIE le Roux weaved his special brand of magic as the Springboks crushed Wales in Durban yesterday. His virtuoso performance, allied to an impressive forward effort, ensured the Dragons fizzled out instead of breathing fire.
The talk in the lead-up to the test was the absence of Frans Steyn and how the cavalier Welsh midfield pairing was going to cut their inexperienced Bok counterparts to ribbons. If there is one thing they did not count on it was the outstanding Le Roux in the Bok backline.
Aside from being bullied at the collisions by a pack that had a massive point to prove after their two-toned showing against
Willie has blossomed, he knows we back him and he is probably the best fullback in the world
the World XV, the visitors also had to spend 10 minutes without the hulking Jamie Roberts, who was sin-binned for tackling Le Roux in the air.
It was a decision that had the Welsh coaching staff, seated in the press box rather than the normal coaches’ box, spitting flames, burning photographers and media with expletives in the process. Meanwhile, the Boks scored two tries of the highest quality, which showed how illprepared the Welsh were for the Bok backlash.
Duane Vermuelen wormed his way over after a smart lineout move.
Le Roux, who orchestrated the first of Bryan Habana’s brace with a deft chip, was at the heart of his second try, dancing around a bewildered Alex Cuthbert, which allowed Habana just enough space to hare into a rough corner of the King’s Park turf.
Le Roux’s class worked for him when a chip and chase again caught the Welsh defence napping and showed amazing strength to muscle his way over the line despite the attentions of a Welsh defender just before half time.
Oddly, when the Boks slowly phased their way into the Welsh 22, they characteristically coughed up in the red zone. When they ran into the 22, which they did three times, they came away with 21 points. That is how far Le Roux’s attacking value extended. It was a contribution that left Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer unable to mask his pride and happiness.
“He did not play at fullback in Super Rugby and, besides improving his attacking game, we told him he needed to improve in other facets of the game, especially the defensive ones because of the move to fullback,” Meyer said.
“He played with freedom, he is enjoying his rugby and is full of confidence. Believe it or not, as a coaching team we give him his freedom to pop up and play his natural rugby. He has blossomed, he knows we back him and he is probably the best fullback in the world.”
The lack of traffic in the Bok channel allowed Morne Steyn to dictate kicking terms and distribute freely without having to worry about defence.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said the Springboks had them in the collisions, but added the Boks were the better team.
“There was a big step up in pace and intensity, especially when there is a move from training to the game. We hope there will be a step up next week and I hope we will be a lot better for it,” Gatland said. “When you face the southern hemisphere sides, they bring a lot of pace and physicality along with high tempo, especially in the first half.”
In his 100th international, Adam Jones fell foul of the amazingly consistent referee Romain Poite to a point where he was yanked off in the 32nd minute. It was an early sign of surrender from the visitors, even though they improved markedly in the second half.
A 19-point buffer was enough to let the Boks relax, even though there was time for a try for debutant Cornal Hendricks, while the Welsh were able to get a consolation score through Cuthbert. However, it failed to mask the deficiencies of the Welsh, despite a subdued second half from the Springboks.