South Africa demolish indisciplined New Zealand as Scott Barrett sees red

At last some full-throttle rugby to raise the pulse in south-west London. It may have been a frustrating August for English supporters but here was the thunderous real deal, disguised as a so-called friendly. If this was a warm-up, those about to encounter a rampant South Africa at next month’s World Cup should brace themselves for something massively impactful.

A full house of almost 81,000, some 30,000 more than are set to attend England’s game with Fiji this weekend, were also given a reminder of the importance of discipline in the modern game. Scott Barrett’s 38th-minute red card for a shoulder to the head of the outstanding Springbok hooker, Malcolm Marx, significantly shaped the outcome here and could have sizeable implications for his team going forward.

Not as sizeable as this record margin, though. By the end it was about as grisly a dress rehearsal as New Zealand could possibly have experienced. South Africa’s triumph was their most convincing in the 102-year history of this fixture and a depleted All Black pack were left in pieces on the floor. Even before Barrett’s early bath his side’s second-row resources were already stretched and tight-head prop Tyrel Lomax looked to be another serious casualty on a heavy-duty evening.

On this evidence the Boks will make mincemeat of one or two packs at the World Cup, though they will be relieved that Pieter-Steph Du Toit was shown only a yellow card for a stiff arm challenge on New Zealand’s captain, Sam Cane. It was the only minor hiccup of an otherwise glorious night for South Africa, with Marx and replacements Bongi Mbonambi and Kwagga Smith helping themselves to further scores.

The sheer amount of pre-match braai smoke in the Twickenham air had already given this occasion a distinctive flavour. Short of the RFU’s chief executive changing his name to Biltong Sweeney for the evening it could hardly have felt more like a South African home game. To judge from the hordes of green replica jerseys in the crowd, the Springboks will certainly not lack for London-based support if they do ever join the Six Nations.

Not everything was pitch perfect. The Boks made a mess of an early try-scoring opportunity in the left corner when Damian Willemse crabbed across the field and forced Makazole Mapimpi prematurely into touch. Then, with the rain intensifying, the All Blacks also had their wobbly moments, not least when Cane fumbled a slightly awkward pass from Aaron Smith in his own in-goal area.

Faf de Klerk also knocked on a slippery ball with a Bok score seemingly odds on before the All Blacks’ evening took a sharp turn for the worse. Barrett made his first trip to the sideline as referee, Matt Carley, lost patience with the rising number of ruck offences and three minutes later Cane followed him. With Lomax also being carted off in the first quarter with an ominous-looking lower leg injury, New Zealand were seriously under the cosh.

South Africa surely had to take advantage and, finally, they did so, skipper Siya Kolisi forcing his way over from close range in the 19th minute. When Richie Mo’unga then struck an upright with a penalty effort from almost straight in front of the posts, it further compounded a desperately difficult period for Foster’s side.

It could easily have been worse when André Esterhuizen blasted through Jordie Barrett’s tackle and out the Boks back on the front foot. The mood began to shift slightly, though, when the All Blacks were restored to 15 players and began to move the ball with dexterity and skill. How good it was to be reacquainted with a sport full of dynamism and ambition rather than safety-first conservatism.

Foster, though, would have been less enthused when Jordie Barrett, 25 metres out, off-loaded straight to South Africa’s Kurt-Lee Arendse to concede a second killer try seven minutes before the interval. At 14-0 up against a Bok side oozing physicality and purpose, it was a mountainous assignment even before Scott Barrett’s crass clear-out on Marx that would unquestionably have been upgraded to a red card in the review ‘bunker’ had it not already been the lock’s second yellow.

New Zealand could have conceded even more points. The promising Cadan Moodie had a glorious weaving score ruled out and at times New Zealand were struggling simply to stay afloat. Marx and Mbonambi underlined the Boks’ power and smart execution when given a sniff in the opposition 22 and Smith, whose pace is another handy tool later in games, turned the screw further to put his side 35-0 up. Cam Roigard intercepted and sprinted over from distance to put the All Blacks belatedly on the scoreboard but, by then, the message to everyone else was stark. The defending champions are once again the team the rest of the world will now fear most.