Five tries, a dominant scrum, solid defence and some eye-catching performances from wing Edwill van der Merwe, fullback Aphelele Fassi and flank Kwagga Smith provided the narrative to the story. In other areas — the lineout in particular, and also in terms of discipline in the first half — the Boks were less impressive. But as season-opening encounters go, after such a long time between Tests, with four new caps and many Japan-based players who haven’t had a decent game in weeks, it was acceptable.
The Boks have now won 14 of their last 16 Tests, and with the blockbuster two-Test series against Ireland looming in a fortnight, it was a necessary building block for that assignment. Coach Rassie Erasmus will be able to find lots of “work-ons” (as coaches love to say) when he does his post-match analysis, yet he will also take some satisfaction from the afternoon. Van der Merwe capped his strong display with a fine solo try late in the game, stepping through two defenders and then bursting away for the score.
Earlier in the match he made a sensational double tackle in the space of two seconds. Debutant wing Edwil van der Merwe had a fine game, which he capped off with a superb solo try. (Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images) Fassi was monumental under the high ball, fielding more than a dozen kicks aimed in his vicinity.
The only blotch, and it was not Fassi’s fault, was that he was yellow-carded after taking one such ball, when his foot caught Wales flank Taine Plumtree.