#Letters: Boks dither against mediocre England

Sbu Nkosi during the 2018 South Africa Captains Run at Twickenham Stadium in London. Picture: BackpagePix

Sbu Nkosi during the 2018 South Africa Captains Run at Twickenham Stadium in London. Picture: BackpagePix

Published Nov 7, 2018

Share

Two vital overthrows by Malcolm Marx at a crucial stage of the game, and on England's 5m line, cost the Boks the match. 

These two line-outs could have led to tries that would have sealed the match. Marx was not at his best either. How Akker van der Merwe can be left out of the squad beggars belief. He would have rattled a very mediocre England side with his bustling, no-nonsense approach.

The star of the match was S’bu Nkosi. Streets ahead of Aphiwe Dyantyi, who did not make much of an impression, and whose defence needs working on.

De Allende surprised with a fairly credible display. Jesse Kriel hardly showed up. Ivan van Zyl is no Faf de Klerk, but stood his ground. Duane Vermeulen is not a flank and should rotate with Warren Whitely, who was here, there, and everywhere as No 8. 

Steph du Toit, an outstanding player, is not a flank. We desperately need a robust flank in the mould of Kwagga Smith or even Marnus Schoeman to continually harass the opposition. Include Willie le Roux at fullback.

Lood de Jager tried, but does not compare with Franco Mostert. The blatant shoulder charge on André Esterhuizen by Farrell should have led to a yellow card at least, and a penalty. If it was a South African he would have got a red card. A shocking decision. 

Let’s hope next week’s game sees a few changes and a far better effort from the Boks.

Whitlock is a reader from Sunnyridge, Germiston

The Star

Related Topics: