PORT ELIZABETH — South Africa A dumped Zimbabwe 40-0 on Saturday, and the scoreline barely tells the full story. The game was basically decided before halftime, and a lot of the talk afterward centered on one veteran World Cup winner and one young fly-half who made a really dumb decision.
Lukhanyo Am didn’t have to do anything flashy. He didn’t. But the way he carried himself out there — cleaning up loose balls, organizing the defense, putting his body on the line — it was obvious he’s still a cut above most players on that field. The guy moved to Japan recently and looked a little off in his last Springbout outings, but Saturday he had pop in his step again. He wasn’t breaking ankles or throwing 50-meter passes. He didn’t need to. He just locked things down and let the younger guys work around him. 8/10
The bigger talking point was Yaqeen Ahmed, the Junior Boks fly-half who’s been getting buzz for his silky footwork and how he glides across the grass. He scored a gorgeous try off a dummy and sprint that left defenders flat-footed. But then he dropped a chip kick deep in Zimbabwe territory and took out fullback Tapiwa Mafura in the air. Ref didn’t hesitate — yellow card, and honestly it could’ve been red if the other guy had landed worse. Ahmed’s attack instincts are legit, but that kind of boneheaded move at this level gets punished. 5/10
Other standouts: Luan Giliomee played like he’d been running the show at fly-half for years after Ahmed went off. Some folks compare him to Pat Lam, and you can see why — calm head, good vision, confident with his passes and his running. 8/10. Fullback Jaco Williams had himself a day too, poaching a poor clearance kick and finishing with his try showing the future of Springboks wing depth is in good hands. 8/10. Zekhethelo Siyaya was lively on the wing before he got taken out by his own teammate — a stray boot from Emmanuel Tshituka caught him in the face and he went off for an HIA. Unfortunate, because he nearly had a hat trick. 7/10.
Up front, Bathobele Hlekani was an absolute bulldozer with the ball and put in big hits. 8/10. Phepsi Buthelezi did his usual busy work and threw some nice offloads. 6/10. The Tshituka brothers — Vincent captained the side and brought his back-row energy to the second row, and Emmanuel hunted work all day. 7/10 each. Hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele, all of 20 years old, played like a younger Bongi Mbonambi — aggressive, abrasive, a proper scrummager. He’s a 50-cap Springbok waiting to happen, if he cleans up his lineout throws. 7/10.
The Bomb Squad tradition lived on too: the replacement front row dominated the scrum in the second half. Nico Steyn came off the bench and kicked well, made smart choices. Imad Khan scored a try as a loose backline threat. All in all, nine tries, a clean sheet, and a bunch of young players showed they belong. The Sables are not a Test-level side, but that’s the point. These games let the coaching staff see who handles their business when they’re supposed to steamroll someone.
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