Twelve-try Boks crush BaaBaas in the Bay

The Springboks exploded their 2026 into life with 12 tries before a thrilled Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium crowd of 26 398 in Gqeberha, racking up an 80-31 victory (half-time 40-26) over the touring Barbarians.

The experimental line-up – featuring five uncapped players with two current Junior Boks among them – scored six tries in each half against the storied black and white hoops, who looked to give as good as they got.

The team led by former All Black scrum half TJ Perenara scored five of their own – three of them in a 10-minute burst in the first half while Bolk scrumhalf Grant Williams was in the sin bin – to ensure no one thought they had come just to make up the numbers. They fought valiantly but could not live with the Boks in a second half that ended 40 points to five.

The BaaBaas showed real enterprise to come back from the low point of trailing 35-7 after just 25 minutes as the Boks burst into life, taking advantage of the tourists being reduced to 13 men for eight minutes. Perenara (dangerous tackle) and Miracle Faiilagi (professional foul) were yellow carded in quick succession midway through the half.

Powerful carries – particularly from the Boks’ back row trio – repeatedly got the Siya Kolisi’s men over the gain line opening the way for two walk-in tries from left wing Edwill van der Merwe, while two of loose forwards also thundered over – Jasper Wiese and Pieter-Steph du Toit.

Junior Bok captain Riley Norton also gambolled in from close range against a defence in disarray and the half ended with Cheslin Kolbe – deputising at No 9 for the sin-binned Williams – scampering diagonally from the base of an attacking scrum for the sixth try. The multi-faceted wing had also taken on the kicking duties on his way to a haul of 23 points from a try and nine conversions from 11 attempts.

Powerful centre Virimi Vakatawa ran in the BaaBaas first try in the 10th minute but at 35-7 it looked way like being one-way traffic all day.

However, Williams’ yellow set up a penalty to the corner. Franco Molina (lock) scored from the line-out drive and was followed in by long-range break outs and smooth handling from right Andrew Kellaway (wing) and Perenara. Three tries in the blink of an eye and the gap had closed from 28 points to nine (35-26).

Kolbe’s try restored a little bit of order and a seventh arrived seven minutes into the new half, with HIA replacement hooker JJ Kotze emerging with the ball and a smile from the back of driven maul.

That was while the Boks had been reduced to 14 for a second time. Aphelele Fassi was yellowed for a high shot in the build-up to what would have been Van der Merwe’s hat-trick try, a sprint in from halfway.

He couldn’t be denied however, and he scampered in for his third 15 minutes later after a succession of powerful drives in which replacement No 8 Evan Roos was prominent.

Kellaway claimed his second from a walk-in on the right wing after a rare period of 22m pressure from the BaaBaas before almost the biggest cheer of the day greeted a try under the cross bar for replacement scrumhalf Faf de Klerk after great inter-play between fellow replacements and debutants Paul de Villiers and Vusi Moyo.

Moyo threw a long skip pass to Fassi who put in Jesse Kriel for the 10th try six minutes from time and there was still time for the speeding freight train that is inside centre Andre Esterhuizen to thunder through his opposite number and score under the crossbar.

By now the crowd were in raptures and had one last moment to celebrate after the siren had sounded with another replacement, Zachary Porthen, thundering over for the 12th try which Moyo converted.

Score

Springboks 80 (40) – Tries: Edwill van der Merwe (3), Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese, Riley Norton, Cheslin Kolbe, JJ Kotze, Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Zachary Porthen. Conversions: Kolbe (9), Vusi Moyo.

Barbarians 31 (26) – Tries: Virimi Vakatawa, Franco Molina, Andrew Kellaway (2), TJ Perenara. Conversions: Tomás Albornoz (3).