Shaun Goosen looks back at the exhibition Springbok Green vs Gold match that took place at Newlands this past weekend.
Image Copyright – Steve Haag Sports.
Green outdo Gold in low-quality clash
In a rather shoddy encounter, the Green team beat the Gold 25-9 at an empty Newlands Stadium on Saturday. The match was the last ever at the historic ground in Cape Town and, honestly, the send-off was a largely underwhelming one. The game effectively served as a Springbok trials, with many youngsters getting the chance to prove their worth, but the plethora of errors made it difficult to watch at times.
Three tries to the Green side, captained by Siya Kolisi, got them the W, though the Gold team’s undoing was largely self-inflicted after allowing a number of opportunities to go a-begging.
Penxe, Nohamba, stand out
Yaw Penxe and Sanele Nohamba were two players who really stood out on the weekend. The 23-year-old Penxe was sensational in the air and put in a truly workmanlike showing from the right wing. He’s been a consistent former for the Southern Kings for many years now and will be surely be picked up by another local side following the Kings’ demise.
Nohamba was also excellent, putting opposite number Herschel Jantjies under all sorts of pressure throughout. The Sharks No 9 is expected to be a regular starter for the Durban-based franchise in the upcoming Super Rugby Unlocked and their investment in him from a young age looks likely to come off splendidly.
Jantjies underlines status as SA’s best bet at No 10
Elton Jantjies’ composed showing for the Green team at first-receiver would have put all doubts of his place in the Bok setup to bed. The Lions captain is set to take over the Bok flyhalf duties from the injured Handre Pollard for the upcoming Rugby Championship (should SA decide to participate) and all indications are that he would do a fine job.
Damian Willemse, on the other hand, struggled big time for the Gold team. His kicking was wayward while his temperament and decision-making was questionable all evening, eventually resulting in him seeing yellow and conceding a penalty try for illegally preventing Penxe from dotting down himself. He will have much room for improvement in the upcoming season.
Written by Shaun Goosen for Hollywoodbets.
