Kurt-Lee Arendse had a dream start against the All Blacks, scoring the Rugby Championship opener and Malcolm Marx, in his 50 Test, was colossal. But my player of the day was Springboks inside centre Lukhanyo Am.
Marx, starting at hooker, is an additional loose-forward and his work over the ball earned the Springboks two penalties in the opening quarter and his final act, in the 53rd minute, was to win a crucial turnover penalty on the Boks 22.
Marx would have been filthy at one lineout throw conceded and a penalty turnover in the first half, but outside of this he played the near perfect match, like his effort against the All Blacks at Newlands in Cape Town in 2017.
The start from the Boks was an additional gear from what they had shown in the three-Test series against Wales and credit to the All Blacks for being brave and disciplined defensively.
The All Blacks conceded five penalties in the first 30 minutes, four from scrums in a period where the Boks had just the right mix of power and panache, confidence and respect. There was also adventure and pragmatism and the Boks bossed territory and possession in a stirring opening.
However, the one converted try advantage at halftime was symptomatic of the Boks’ woes since crushing England 32-12 in the 2019 World Cup final in Japan. The Boks in the past two seasons have seldom converted early dominance into points.
There was a sense at the break that a seven-point advantage did not equal the comfort and control with which the Boks played. Arendse, replacing the injured Cheslin Kolbe, got the try but the offload in contact from Am was an illustration of what makes him the best No 13 in South Africa and among the elite in his position in world rugby.
Am’s calm in his decision-making is his strength. He plays as if he sees the play unfold in slow motion, which is the hallmark of every great player. He is clever with the ball and bloody tough over the ball. Am is a class player and it beggars belief that former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains singled him out a year ago as a player only in the Bok team because of transformation targets.
It was an insult to Am and to transformation. Am’s gift is both as an individual and in how collectively he controls the South African rush defence. South Africa’s intensity off the line defensively is something the All Blacks would not have experienced, not against Ireland and not against France last November.
It is why the jury remains on Ireland and France, in terms of their World Cup prospects, because they have not faced a pack like South Africa’s, an impact bench like South Africa’s, nor a defence that possesses such a rush intensity.
Am was the giant among the Bok backs, while up front Siya Kolisi saves his best for Test rugby and the Boks forwards, as a back five unit, worked as effectively as the front five. Faf de Klerk, picked to start at scrumhalf for his box-kicking game, was stretched off the field concussed after just 43 seconds.
It was a cruel blow to De Klerk but in the context of the match it proved a godsend because of the variation and speed of delivery the Boks got from replacement scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse.
The Boks were more fluid in attack than they were against Wales, but most significantly they were more controlled and composed as a collective than what we saw in the three Tests against Wales.
The Rugby Championship was a lift in intensity from the July internationals and it is guaranteed that it will only get more intense a week from now at Emirates Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
• Mark Keohane is the founder of keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the digital content director at Highbury Media. Twitter: @mark_keohane
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