South Africa continued their impressive run at the Rugby World Cup 2023, overwhelming Pool B rivals Romania with a resounding 76-0 victory at Stade de Bordeaux on Sunday.
South Africa wasted no time in building a commanding 26-0 lead within the first 10 minutes, courtesy of tries from Cobus Reinach (2), Makazole Mapimpi, and Damian Willemse. Reinach then completed his hat-trick before halftime, leaving the score at 33-0 in favor of the Springboks.
The second half witnessed Makimpi securing a brace to complete his own hat-trick, while Deon Fourie, Grant Williams (2), and Willie Le Roux also found the try line, underscoring the Springboks’ dominance.
Mapimpi, rightfully named the Mastercard Player of the Match, expressed gratitude to the passionate Boks fans who fervently supported their team throughout the match.
“We appreciate that. I see you guys behind us all the time,” said the winger.
“I don’t put myself in front (first); it’s all about the team. It’s not about me walking over to score the tries. A lot of guys did well – André [Esterhuizen], Willie [Le Roux] – and I appreciate their work.”
Eugen Apjok, Romania’s head coach, took solace in certain aspects of his team’s performance in their first two Rugby World Cup 2023 matches, which included facing the top-ranked Ireland and the reigning world champions, South Africa.
“We had the first 25 minutes in the Irish game and today the last 20 minutes of the first half – we can take some positives,” remarked Apjok.
“We need to learn a lot about how to manage, especially in the breakdown.”
Despite the heavy defeat amidst the rain, Romania’s captain, Cristian Chirica, maintained an optimistic outlook.
“It is very important for us to play against the best teams in the world because we are a young team that needs experience,” he emphasized.
“It is very hard to play against teams like South Africa which are very tough and very physical, but we are happy to be here and we are trying to do our best.”
With this convincing victory behind them, South Africa can now focus on their upcoming clash with Ireland in Saint-Denis on Saturday, filled with confidence.
“I’m especially happy with a couple of things we tried,” said Jacques Nienaber, the head coach of the Springboks.
“The three different hookers that we used – I thought that paid off. Then Faf [de Klerk] got some exposure at 10 – so I thought a lot of things that we wanted to get out of the game, we got.”
