Boks dig deep to beat Scotland in Pretoria

It was a hard-fought affair though, with the Scots coming to play and taking the top-ranked side in the world to some dark places at times, but the Springboks are not double world champions for nothing, twice repelling great comebacks by the visitors to win the game.

The Boks did not start well, losing their own lineout throw and then conceding two penalties, which gave Scotland an opportunity to launch an attack. Solid defence stopped the Scots in their tracks though.

The early attack from the visitors centred around high kicks, with Edwill van der Merwe seemingly the target. He fielded one and Pollard two bombs, to nullify that area of attack in the opening spell.

The Boks weathered the early storm and started to squeeze 10 minutes in. They opted for a scrum after earning a penalty near the Scotland line and decimated the visitors. That yielded a second penalty and again the Boks opted for the shove. They attacked strongly, but were held up over the line.

The early battle lines were drawn though.

The Loftus crowd – all 45,053 of them – were sent into ecstasy 15 minutes in when Embrose Papier stepped past several defenders to score his first Test try – and what a try it was. He used his pace and swerve to great effect and left several Scots grasping at thin air. Pollard converted for a 7-0 lead.

It became 14 soon after. From the restart, Cobus Wiese ran hard and far, Paul de Villiers took over and a couple of rucks later, Evan Roos crashed over. Pollard converted.

The home side’s ability to strike from anywhere was clear, but for Scotland, it was hard labour to break down the Bok defence. The high kick remained a preferred option, but they had better success when they carried the ball.

From one such a carry, the Scots earned a penalty and Finn Russell kicked to the corner. They attacked well and looked set to break down the Bok defence, but a handling error cost them dearly. From the resulting scrum though, they earned a penalty and when they tapped and played, Matt Fagerson scored. Russell converted for a 14-7 scoreline after 35 minutes.

At the same time, the Boks lost Wiese, who limped off to be replaced by Ben-Jason Dixon at lock.

The Scots scored their second try on the halftime hooter. They attacked well and Kyle Rowe ran a great line off Rory Hutchinson to score under the sticks. Russell converted and at the break, scores were even at 14-14.

The second half did not start well for the Boks either, with Dixon being yellow carded for head contact at a ruck. The Boks also went to the bench at the same time with Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zach Porthen, Elrigh Louw, Quan Horn, and Grant Williams joining the action.

The Scots used the opportunity to speed up the game, hoping for their numerical advantage to yield points, but the Boks stood strong on defence and won a crucial breakdown to get their hands on the ball again. Dixon rejoined without the Boks conceding any points.

With the bench players getting into the game the Springboks were slowly but surely starting to put pressure on Scotland, and it was Louw who scored to break the deadlock.

A couple of hit-ups had Scotland’s fringe defenders stretched and the Bok flanker ran a great line to score. Pollard converted and the Boks’ lead was restored at 21-14.

The Springboks scored their bonus point try in what will be a try of the year contender. Damian Willemse initiated, then supported and finally crashed over for the fourth try of the match. Pollard added the extras to make it 28-14.

Scotland were starting to buckle under the relentless Bok attack and two attacking lineouts yielded a fifth try, with Porthen crashing over from close range for his first Test try. The Bok forwards’ power was starting to take its toll on the Scots and Pollard's conversion took the lead to 35-14.

However, the hosts were caught napping from the following restart and Josh Bayliss broke clear to score for Scotland. Russell converted to cut the lead to 35-21 and 20 minutes to play.

That score handed them a new lease on life and a few minutes later Ben White scored a peach of a try. The Scots dominated the Boks defence at ruck time and White scored when the Boks defence ran out of numbers around the fringes. The conversion cut the lead to one score (35-28).

Trust the old guard to come good when needed most. From an advantage play, Pollard kicked the perfect grubber for Jesse Kriel to run onto and the centre did not disappoint, racing in from 40m to score the try that sealed the deal. Pollard kicked the conversion for good measure and at 42-28 with three minutes to play, it was all over at Loftus.

Scorers:

Springbok 42 (14) – Tries: Embrose Papier, Evan Roos, Elrigh Louw, Damian Willemse, Zach Porthen, Jesse Kriel. Conversions: Handre Pollard (5), Quan Horn.

Scotland 28 (14) – Tries: Matt Fagerson, Kyle Rowe, Josh Bayliss, Ben White. Conversions: Finn Russell (4).