The final score was 80-31. And honestly, it felt like the Springboks were playing a game of catch against a team that just met in the parking lot. Scott Robertson’s Barbarians rolled into Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium with all the swagger of an invitational side and left with a reminder that goodwill and flashy offloads rarely hold up against a charging World Cup champion machine.
But let’s be fair. A few guys actually brought it.
The Backs Were a Mixed Bag
Warrick Gelant looked like a man who forgot he was playing against his own countrymen. The Springbok fullback had moments of pure magic — a skip pass that set up Andrew Kellaway’s first try, two line breaks that had South Africa’s defense scrambling — but then he’d drop a high ball or miss a tackle. He finished with four missed tackles and two turnovers conceded. That’s a six out of ten performance if we’re being generous, and we’re being generous.
Andrew Kellaway scored two tries. Sounds great. But the Wallabies discard got absolutely roasted by Edwill van der Merwe in the air and on the ground. Five out of ten feels about right for a guy who can finish but can’t defend the sideline.
Duhan van der Merwe had that one moment where Siya Kolisi flattened him near the tryline, but he bounced back with a chase-down tackle on Cheslin Kolbe that drew some oohs from the crowd. Then he dropped another high ball. Five out of ten. Consistently inconsistent.
Virimi Vakatawa was the bright spot. The former French international absolutely cooked Cheslin Kolbe on his way to a try, and he set up another one with a pass that made the defense look like they were running in quicksand. Sure, he got exposed a few times when the Baa-Baas were scrambling in defense, but that’s the deal with invitational teams. Sometimes you look brilliant, sometimes you look like you’re playing a sport you just learned. Seven out of ten.
Tomás Albornoz played 55 minutes and reminded everyone why he’s one of the best 10s in the game right now. His clearance in the first minute was absurdly good. Seven out of ten.
TJ Perenara was … well, TJ Perenara. He spent most of the game in the referee’s ear, complaining like a guy who just found out his coffee order was wrong. He got binned in the 13th minute for a high tackle on Riley Norton. Then he came back and scored a stunning try right before halftime. Incredibly annoying, still world-class. Seven out of ten.
The Forwards Got Bullied
Miracle Fai’ilagi was one of the few Barbarians who actually looked like he wanted to fight. He flattened Kolbe — a real size mismatch — and then beat him again on the next play. He made a cover tackle on Siya Kolisi that saved a try. Then he got sent to the bin for not rolling away. Seven out of ten, but that sin bin hurt.
Lachlan Boshier was the game’s top tackler, which sounds impressive until you remember that tackling a lot usually means your team doesn’t have the ball. Six out of ten.
The front row was a disaster. D’Arcy Rae got destroyed in the scrum and was basically invisible in open play. Three out of ten. Elliot Dee threw a lineout straight to Jasper Wiese for a try and got beaten in the scrum. Three out of ten. Mayco Vivas was slightly better around the field but still got dominated by Carlu Sadie. Four out of ten.
The bench gave them a little life — Harry Plummer and Tuidraki Samusamuvodre brought some energy, and Oli Kebble steadied the scrum a bit — but by the final quarter, the Barbarians were just hanging on. The Springboks outmuscled them, outclassed them, and frankly, out-ran them.
Eighty to thirty-one. That’s not a rugby match. That’s a beatdown that happened to have a rugby ball involved.
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