Slow start

Second-string Springboks beat Spain 47-3

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Posted: Sunday October 10, 1999 04:43 PM

South Africa's Pieter Muller is tackled by Spain's Miguel Angel Frechilla (on ground) and Diego Zarzosa. AP

EDINBURGH, Scotland (CNN/SI) -- Sunday's match between South Africa and Spain should have been the blowout match of the day. Instead after 30 minutes of play the minnows of world rugby were holding the defending world champions to a scoreless draw.

Although, in truth the Springboks were fielding a side comprised largely of reserves, their lackadaisical, error-ridden play raised serious doubts as to the depth of the team.

The South Africans who won the match 47-3 treated it as little more than a low-key training session.

The match was played in front of another paltry Murrayfield crowd of just 4,769 spectators.

And, incredibly, the score stood at 0-0 after 30 minutes in a match which should have seen the Springboks run up a huge scoreline against a team fielding several amateurs.

South African coach Nick Mallett had only retained one player, flyhalf Jannie de Beer, from the side that beat Scotland last Sunday. But the reserves hardly suggested that they are ready to step up into the Test team.

Mallett said his players committed too many handling errors ---- 22 in all -- but claimed South Africa was never going to win the plaudits against a team of such little experience as Spain.

"People were always going to say that winning by 40 points meant we'd played badly. And if we'd won by 100, they'd have said the opposition was hopeless," he said.

"This really was a no-win situation for this side."

Stand-in captain Andre Vos scored two tries, the others coming from Werner Swanepoel, Anton Leonard, Pieter Muller and late substitute Bobby Skinstad. The other was a penalty try. All but one were converted by de Beer.

Spain's solitary score was a penalty from Ferran Velasco.

After a bright opening, Spain should have taken the lead on 12 minutes, but Aitor Etxeberria missed a simple penalty. Minutes earlier, the ball had just eluded Jose Ignacio Inchuasti as it tantalizingly bounced over the try line and out of play.

But after a late burst, the Sprinboks went in 21-0 ahead at the break.

On 30 minutes, Vos finally made the breakthrough. scoring his first try after a strong, jinking run by fullback Breyton Paulse.

Three minutes later, the Western Province fullback Paulse again showed great pace after he cleanly collected a kick in the loose and charged through four or five Spaniards to pass to Swanepoel to touch over.

In first half stoppage time, Swanepoel broke from the scrum, waltzed past Spanish captain Alberto Malo, who was carrying a leg injury, and passed to Leonard who scored.

In the second half, Spain, without the injured Malo, was pinned back and had to withstand a siege of South African driving and scrums.

The pressure told and Vos scored his second try, driving over from a scrum.

Spain finally got off the mark through Velasco on 55 minutes after center Fernando Diez caught Stefan Terblanche with a crunching tackle and the South African failed to release the ball.

After 62 minutes, Mallett brought on stars Skinstad and skipper Joost van der Westhuizen. Seven minutes later, they were awarded a penalty try for an infraction after almost scoring with a pushover.

Fifteen minutes later, Skinstad deftly chipped the Spanish defense and Pieter Muller touched down.

In the final move of the game, Skinstad scored a try that should have been disallowed after he clearly dragged the ball forward to score. De Beer failed to convert the try.

Vos said the team had suffered from "over-eagerness" which led to unforced errors.

"For most of us, this was our only chance of playing at the World Cup and we wanted to play well," Vos said. "It didn't go well in the first 15 minutes. We tried to make it happen and it just didn't."

The Spaniards defended resolutely throughout and left Murrayfield satisfied.

"I'm very proud of my players. They had a very good game," said coach Alfonso Feijoo. "We had our feet on the ground and never believed we would beat South Africa, but this has been very good for our confidence."

Sunday was a landmark in South African sporting history with three colored (people of mixed racial descent in South Africa) players starting a Test in Springbok colors for the first time. One of them, Kaya Malotana, was the first ever black African to start a Test.

South Africa

Spain

Referee: Paul Honnis, New Zealand.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.