South Africa produced a 21-point, five-minute blitz to secure an easy 27-3 win over Scotland in their World Cup warm-up match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on Saturday.
It was a case of back to reality for Scotland, following their recent win over an under-strength Irish side.
The South Africans certainly put down their World Cup marker in the most emphatic fashion in a first-half performance that left the Scottish with more questions and no answers.
South Africa dominated the physical exchanges and showed their greater pace in that short period in the first half, when they turned a 3-all scoreline into a 24-3 lead and ended the game as a contest ... all in the space of just five minutes.
The real difference between the two sides was that South Africa did the basics just so much better and picked up the pace of the game when it was needed.
The fact that only three points were scored in the second half is an indication of how much in control the Boks were, rather than a suggestion that the Scots came back. The Boks eased off the pedal and avoided injuries, while all their replacements also got a run.
It was a huge boost for the Boks ahead of the World Cup and they showed they can match anybody in the physical exchanges, while they have the skill and pace to live with the best.
The only real highlight for Scotland was their strong mauling.
After a nervous start, in which both teams made some silly errors, Scotland settled down the quickest.
They made most of the early play through a series of forward rushes and were soon rewarded with a penalty right in front of the posts. Chris Paterson duly slotted the penalty for a 3-0 lead after 10 minutes of action.
However, the Springboks hit straight back and four minutes later they were on level terms when Percy Montgomery slotted a penalty -- after Scotland went offside at a ruck just outside their own 22.
It took the Boks another 10 minutes before they breached a very solid Scottish defence and it came from a very basic back row move off a scrum. Danie Rossouw picked up off the back of a solid scrum and with Fourie du Preez drifting wide and dragging the defence with him, it opened a gap on the inside for Habana to come through. The flying winger went over untouched.
Montgomery added the conversion and after 22 minutes the Boks were leading 10-3.
Centre Francois Steyn missed with a long-range penalty in the 25th minute, but moments later he made up for it when he sliced through the first line of defence -- coming from turnover ball -- and Steyn off-loaded in the tackle to Jaque Fourie for the Boks' second try. Montgomery made it 17-3 with the conversion.
And barely a minute later it was try-time again as the South Africans picked up the pace with a series of powerful raids -- good phase-play, strong, fast runners and good cleaning out at the rucks. Scrum-half Fourie du Preez scored try number three as the Boks' fast-paced game became too much for their hosts. Montgomery added the conversion to make it 24-3 after 27 minutes.
The Boks eased off the pace a bit after that blitz and the Scottish team shored up its defensive efforts, which meant there were no further scoring in the first half.
Not that there weren't a few half-chances, but neither side managed to capitalise on anything they created.
After the break there was no let-up for the Scots, as the Boks continued to pile on the pressure. There was some initial resistance, but in the 51st minute the home team were again penalised for an offence at the ruck and Montgomery slotted the penalty to make it 27-3 to the visitors.
Just on the 60-minute mark the Boks sent on a host of replacements -- with Bismarck du Plessis, BJ Botha, Albert van den Berg, Wikus van Heerden, Ruan Pienaar and André Pretorius all getting game time.
Replacements for the Scots included Fergus Thomson, Scott Murray, Dan Parks and Hugo Southwell.
The game now lost its structure and zest, with the Boks content to play out time -- knowing they had secured a comfortable win.
There was a late surge by the Boks, as they mauled and rucked their way to within metres of the Scottish tryline, but they wasted the opportunity when André Pretorius put through a grubber that none of his teammates could get to.
That left the Boks with a comfortable 27-3 win and a huge World Cup boost.
Man of the match: For Scotland there were a few brave souls, with fullback Rory Lamont heading the list with some strong running and sound defence. But with the manner in which the Boks dominated the physical exchanges it is obvious the key difference was in the pack. Flanks Schalk Burger and Juan Smit were huge influences in the game, with Burger in particular his bustling, busy self. But our award goes to number eight Danie Rossouw, who in his 60 minutes on the park was monumental on defence and always made ground when carrying the ball up. This loose trio worked well in unison.
Moment of the match: This one goes to Fourie du Preez's try in the 27th minute, which was a scored that showed the difference in class between the two sides -- as the Boks, greater pace and physicality, along with their slick handling, let the Scottish defence powerless to stop them.
Villain of the match: There were some minor niggling, but nothing nasty. This award goes to Springbok wing JP Pietersen for his lack of tactical appreciation, poor tackling and shocking hands. For a paid professional, and an international at that, he simply knocks the ball on far too often.
The scorers:
For Scotland:
Pen: Paterson
For South Africa:
Tries: Habana, Fourie, Du Preez
Cons: Montgomery 3
Pens: Montgomery 2
The teams:
Scotland: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Nikki Walker, 13 Rob Dewey, 12 Andrew Henderson, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Chris Paterson, 9 Mike Blair, 8 David Callam, 7 Kelly Brown, 6 Jason White (captain), 5 James Hamilton, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Gavin Kerr.
Replacements: 16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Allan Jacobsen, 18 Scott Murray, 19 Allister Hogg, 20 Rory Lawson, 21 Dan Parks, 22 Hugo Southwell.
South Africa: 15 Percy Montgomery, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 François Steyn, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Danie Rossouw, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 CJ van der Linde, 2 Gary Botha, 1 Os du Randt.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 BJ Botha, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Wikus van Heerden, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 André Pretorius, 22 Ashwin Willemse.
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Touch judges: Rob Debney (England), Roy Maybank (England)
Television match official: George Clancy (Ireland)
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