Sooth Africa swamps England, 33-15

Press, 4 June 1984, Page 13

Sooth Africa swamps England, 33-15

NZPA-Reuter Port Elizabeth South Africa ran riot in the second half to crush England, 33-15, in the first rugby union international at Port Elizabeth yesterday. The Springboks went on the attack from the start and only some desperate defence by England and untidy handling by the South African backs kept the score to 12-12 at half-time. The South African left wing, Carel du Plessis, scored the only try of the first half when he jinked through a widespread English defence to score near the posts. The full-back, Johan Heunis, converted and kicked a penalty while his opposite number, Dusty Hare, kicked three penalties and the flyhalf, John Horton, dropped a goal to keep England in contention at half-time. However, the second half was all South Africa. Huenis kicked two further penalties and the brilliant Springbok fly-half, Errol Tobias, was the mastermind of a backline which swarmed all over England. Their pressure was rewarded with fine tries from the centre, Danie Gerber, and the flanker, Rob Louw, while England’s sole response was a further penalty from Hare.

The clear, dry conditions were ideal for wide-open rugby and the South Africans took full advantage to run the ball at every opportunity. They were rewarded with du Plessis’s try midway through the first half when the strong-running winger burst through the England defence to open the home side’s scoring after an early penalty from Hare. Horton’s dropped goal during one of England’s rare incursions into South African territory put England back in touch at 9-6. Heunis restored the sixpoint lead with a penalty before Hare managed to level the score at half-time with two further penalties.

However, the South Africans were not to be denied. After Heunis had moved them into a 18-12 lead with two further penalties, Gerber snatched up a bouncing ball well inside his own half to run unchallenged and score between the posts. Ragged in defence and indecisive in their rare moments of attack, the tourists were in all kinds of trouble against a side which kept running against them. The battering England took was reflected in the number of stoppages for injury treatment after they launched themselves in desperate tackles in an attempt to stem the tidal wave of attacks. Finally the winger, Mark Bailey, who had twice taken heavy knocks, left the field to be replaced by Nick Stringer. There was a fitting end to the one-sided game when, from yet another swinging back movement, Louw stormed over near the corner post to underline just how comprehensively England had been defeated in all phases of the game. The score was comfortably South Africa’s best against England. In the seven previous tests between the two countries they had never reached double figures.