As draws go, this was of the riveting kind. Pat Lambie could not convert South Africa’s late try from the touchline, but it would have been a victory snatched by the young Springboks against a side who looked vastly the more talented. For all the pyrotechnics, the impression that South African rugby is in a desperate place was not alleviated by this. The Barbarians looked a million dollars, throwing the ball around in the finest tradition, but that a collection of Super Rugby players, most of them bubbling beneath their respective international teams, tore South Africa apart did not bode well for the rest of the autumn.
“It’s never easy to draw,” said Allister Coetzee, the Springbok coach. “We see it as a loss, really, but there were a lot of pleasing aspects to our game, particularly the fighting spirit our young team showed to come back.”
Those looking for pointers, however, towards next Saturday’s game between England and South Africa were never likely to come away with many hard conclusions. Quite apart from the fact that the Springboks were giving run-outs to so many fringe players, the Barbarians hardly represent the template for how England play. Nor for how they defend.
As ever, it was a match between Barbarian flair and an international team’s organisation and set piece. The Baa-Baas were painfully deficient in the latter department. Their lineout was a horror story for anyone calling themselves a professional outfit. To their eternal credit, they fight well shy of claiming that, and a reluctance to practise, as opposed to blow the froth off a few tinnies, was writ large over their performance. But, boy, talent was too.
There were three All Blacks on show. Andy Ellis, Seta Tamanivalu and Luke Whitelock were suitably outstanding, but Richard Buckman, Melani Nanai, Brad Shields and Jordan Taufua are not Test players, it is an accident of birth. They would walk into most international sides, including the one opposite them. With a modicum of practice, the Barbarians would have won with plenty to spare.
The two tries they conceded in the first half were an embarrassment. Pieter-Steph du Toit was allowed to catch a lineout and waltz clean through for the first and Roelof Smit was required to work only marginally harder for the second. The Barbarians had to wait until the second half to win one of their lineouts and were penalised repeatedly at the scrum. In return they were awarded two penalties all match.
Luckily, they can play a bit. Their counterattacking terrorised the Springboks. Sergeal Petersen, for example, many people’s tip for a Test jersey, will not want to come across anyone like Taqele Naiyaravoro any time soon, whatever the jersey. He was smashed aside every time the vast Aussie winger received the ball, which was a lot.
But all the Barbarians were at it. Nanai ripped South Africa up a couple of times at the start, finishing the game’s first try. Next, Ellis finished a fabulous counter from the Barbarian 22. Then, just before the break, Naiyaravoro’s latest casting aside of Petersen finished off another bewitching passage of footwork, power and offloading.
Petersen gained a measure of revenge at the start of the second half, showcasing his talent with a try that earned his side a fleeting lead. Cue more brilliance from the team in black and white. Naiyaravoro down the left, then again through the middle, and the usual blur of handling sent Luke Morahan into the corner. Another beauty followed – a few phases and a brilliant pass from Buckman putting Morahan over again.
A 12-point lead with 10 minutes to go might be considered enough for most sides, but the Barbarians are not most sides. They started to unwind and South Africa suddenly ran with confidence. Jamba Ulengo found space and combined with Francois Venter for South Africa’s fourth. He was away again with five minutes to go and RJ van Rensburg scored in the corner to tie the score.
Lambie could not land the conversion, so we settled for the draw, usually such an anticlimax, but not so when the Barbarians are in town and in this mood.
