Kurt-Lee Arendse is all effort & excellence in Boks win
Kurt-Lee Arendse was the best of the Springboks in Pretoria against Italy, writes Mark Keohane.
I thought Arendse was industrious, electric and defensively dynamite in all he did.
He was enthusiastic in the aerial contest, if not always able to turn the kick into reward, but his chase was always of the highest quality.
The left winger, who spent the past season in Japan, ran a wonderful angle for his try, but it was his cross cover try-saving tackle that was a personal highlight on a night in which most of the Boks showed the promise of a strong performance but never delivered as a collective.
Blink and you’ll miss him ⚡⚡
KLA goes over for South Africa’s third try 🏉
📺 Stream #RSAvITA on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw pic.twitter.com/eC3S7L5KwK
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 5, 2025
Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg scored two tries in the first half and was named Player of the Match. I thought Van den Berg was good without being imposing, especially behind a scrum set piece that was dominant in the first half.
Van den Berg is one of five competing of the No 9 position, and he has started both Springbok matches in 2025. I expect Rassie Erasmus to start with one of Faf de Klerk or Cobus Reinach in the second Test.
I would not be surprised to see at least 10 changes to the match 23 and possibly five or six to the starting line-up as Erasmus looks to give most of his squad game minutes in the second Test and then in the final warm-up, against Georgia, pre the Rugby Championship.
Damian de Allende, at inside centre, and Marco van Staden, carried well, as did Jasper Wiese (at No 8) and Eben Etzebeth, but there was a noticeable looseness in the second half, which Italy recognised and, to their credit, cashed in. The Italians scored three second half tries, and could have had two more.
They scored a 20-metre driving maul try, which won’t make for easy viewing for the Springbok team review session.
The scrums were a highlight for the Boks. Wilco Louw and Ox Nche were powerful and they had bulk in Lood de Jager and Etzebeth behind them.
Italy were brave and belligerent, and they would have left Pretoria inspired, despite conceding six tries and losing by 18 points.
I had the Boks to score 45 points and win by 30. The Bookies had the Boks by 44.5 points. We were all consistent in the fact that Boks would go past 40, but Italy surprised in how comfortably they stayed in the contest, scored three tries and created opportunities for a few more.
In my Sunday Times column, sent on the final whistle, I gave the Boks a C- for the win. Having watched the Test again on Sunday morning, I would give them a C.
It says everything about the standards of the back-to-back world champions that they can score six tries, total 42 points and not even be close to a B in performance.
KEO ON THE BOKS IN THE SUNDAY TIMES
France, who fielded just one player from the match 23 that beat Ireland in Dublin, were outstanding in pushing the All Blacks for 80 minutes in Dunedin. The French trailed by a point with six minutes to go and a late Beauden Barrett penalty calmed Kiwi nerves.
It was no surprise that the All Blacks best player was inside centre Jordie Barrett, who spent the past season playing for Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup and Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
In a weekend full of international rugby, Eddie Jones guided Japan to a 24-19 win against Wales. It was Wales’ 18th successive Test defeat. This was the best Welsh team, as only two of their players were picked for the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
England showed the quality of their depth in beating the Pumas in Argentina, with the latter again showing how consistently they re inconsistent. A fortnight after beating a star-studded Lions team in Dublin, they lose at home to an England team missing 10 regular Six Nations players.
Ireland, without 20 regular Test players, beat Georgia 34-5 and the Lions at least had a contact session in the 21-10 win against the Waratahs in Sydney.
The Lions have romped through Australia in going past 50 against the Force and Reds, but the locals at least showed some defiance in limiting the Lions to just one try and seven points in a second half in which both teams scored a try.
In the Sunday international, Fiji were a minute away from a famous win against the Wallabies in Australia.
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson scored in the final sequence for a 21-18 Wallabies win.
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