’Boks score eight-try victory

Press, 6 August 1981, Page 32

’Boks score eight-try victory

From KEVIN McMENAMIN The Springbok coach, Nelie Smith, has a stock answer when he is quizzed on upcoming rivals: “There is no such thing as an easy game in New Zealand,” he avows. Well yesterday the Springboks had an easy win, but it took them 40 minutes to figure out how to best use their wide-ranging strengths. They finished up beating Wanganui, 45-9, at Spriggens Park after the score had been 9-9 at half-time. Even at half-time there was little doubt what the outcome was going to be. It was just a matter of the Springboks ridding them-

selves of errors, mainly tactical and more precisely in the deployment of their much bigger and faster men. This they did by simply using their forwards as the main . driving, force and allowing the backs to finish off the forwards’ good work. And some good work there was, particularly in the way the forwards supported one another and in their ball control once they were halted. They mauled outstandingly well. The Springboks scored eight tries and some of them were masterpieces of freerunning rugby, like the one which had its origins in a

vigorous assault of the Springboks’ line by the Wanganui lock, Graeme Coleman. The Springboks wrested the ball off Coleman and Errol Tobias ran away from his own goal-line to half-way where he sent Colin Beck away for the try. Beck and Tobias both scored two tries and Tobias got a lovely one under the posts after Edrich Krantz had made a strong diagonal burst from the right wing. The second-half scoring spree was compensation for a rather scrappy first half. The Springboks tried for a start to run all their possession through - the backs, but

they were hindered by a combination of quick breaking Wanganui forwards and halves, Barry Wolmarans and Tobias, who were slow in their passing. The opening was not helped either by a Wanganui forward tramping all over the Springbok full-back, Johan Heunis. Heunis left the field with a bad cut behind the ear which required six stitches and he also took a boot in the kidneys. Gysie Pienaar replaced Heunis and while Pienaar scored 12 points, from four conversions and a try, he once again showed his dislike for the high ball, dropping

one which very nearly brought a try for Wanganui. Glenn Willacy kept Wanganui in the game with three penalty goals, from short, medium and long distances, but Wanganui’s share of possession soon ran dry and the side had no option but to adopt a spoiling role. For the Springboks, tries by Colin Beck (two), Errol Tobias (two), Hennie Bekker, Thys Burger, Gysie Pienaar and Carel du Plessis. Pienaar added four conversions and Beck landed a penalty goal and a conversion, the penalty by Beck being beautifully struck from some 45m out. Glenn Willacy kicked three penalty goals for Wanganui.