Today’s “kind of test match” kicks off at Newlands at 5pm.
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield (captain), 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Teboho Mohoje, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Jean de Villiers.
World XV: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Lachlan Turner, 13 JJ Engelbrecht, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 David Smith, 10 Mike Harris, 9 Luke Burgess,
8 Luke Whitelock, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Jordan Taufua, 5 Bakkies Botha (captain), 4 Ali Williams, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Craig Burden, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 David Roumieu, 17 Alexandre Menini, 18 Petrus du Plessis, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Louis-Benoit Madaule, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Andrew Horrell, 23 Rudi Wulf.

Go Bokke!!
Getting close to kickoff…I hope Whitely has a blinder! And I’m looking forward to seeing Kriel at Centre and JP at wing…
@pastorshark (Comment 2) : Ooh, and Burden at hooker…!
Looks like the Cape is wet…that’s not necessarily a bad thing…
Whitely with his first start…go boy!
And I missed the fact that Reinach is on the bench…
@pastorshark (Comment 5) : Well deserved!
Bokke, Bokke, Bokke!!
@vanmartin (Comment 7) : Absolutely!
Here come the Boks…preceded by a rather chubby Impi!!
A Zulu version of Matt Stevens gets things underway
Koch’s beard is as breathtaking as ever
@vanmartin (Comment 11) : Hahahahahahaha!!
Here we go…
Pollard gets things underway…and it is immediately knocked by the World XV…
The Boks play the advantage but are penalised at the breakdown…
Armitage not exactly supporting his own body weight…but there we go…
This time Marcell Coetzee wins the turnover penalty. Good start for him…
De Allende with a big bumpboff with his first touch…
Pienaar looking nice and sharp first up…and the Boks win a penalty…
Pollard nails the penalty and it is 3-0 after 4 minutes…
Seems the commentators are already getting Flouw and Coetzee confused…
There was some nice play by the Boks there…
@pastorshark (Comment 23) : Except for the abundance of forwards in that backline
Anyone have a live stream link please?
Jj Engelbrecht knocks it…no surprise there! Pollard hadn’t found touch, the World XV move included a good Whitely tackle before the mistake…
Anybody have a stream that is bloody working?
@pastorshark (Comment 23) : @vanmartin (Comment 22) : Thanks guys! Don’t have a stream so relying on your commentary here 🙂
@vanmartin (Comment 24) : Yeah, but some good continuity and hands…
First scrum…
@Ben (Comment 27) : nah. admins are still waiting for the stream to start. Can’t find anywhere else.
Boks win a penalty at the first scrum…
@gregkaos (Comment 31) : 🙄
A bit of guess work by the ref there, but Pollard chases it downfield…
Big handoff by Bismarck…more good continuty…
And de Allende scores!!!
Good try…more forwards in the backline, but good hands and good ball retention…
Nice break, handoff and score by the centre…
Pollard misses the conversion…
8-0 after 10 mins…
Oh my word! How did the world xv not score there?! Charge down when the Boks tried to exit!
Great counterattack by the Boks until Willie knocks it in the flyhalf channel…
Wow…high tempo stuff there. Some nice play by various Boks…now a break in play as Bakkies needs attention!
Great touch finder by Harris!!!
Jannie will be in trouble for that entry into the ruck with the citing commissioner surely!!
World XV are attacking hard…
Whitely with more good defence!
World XV get to 10 phases before Harris knocks it…
8-0 after 14 mins…
Scrum for the Boks on their 22 middle of the field…
Great try by Etzebeth!!
Just found radio commentary on Radio 2000.
Brilliant break by Kriel! Man, this guy has so much talent!
Nice pass by Bismarck to put Etzebeth away!
The conversion is good and it is 15-0 after 18 mins…
The Boks don’t exit well…actually they don’t exit at all. Pollard gives a hospital pass to Bismarck…
Scrum to world xv…and penalty world xv…one for us, one for them…
The penalty is over and it is 15-3…
@Ben (Comment 27) : Found anything yet? Im coming up blank on all streaming fora…
Pienaar has looked good…and Whitely goes on a good run…and Kriel again…
Pollard is crunched!!!
Bakkies is back on the field…
Messy lneout but it is tapped back and the Boks attack hard!!
Willie scores!!
The Boks are looking good…good ball retention, nice snappy service by Pienaar…
No luck with streams.
The conversion is good and it is 22-3…
@Pablo Dinero (Comment 59) : Nothing!
22-3 after 24 minutes…
@pastorshark (Comment 61) : 😎
The Boks are putting a lot of pressure on the world xv…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 66) : I’ve got cricfree and stream22 trying on two other monitors. I’f either comes up I’ll let everyone know. 🙁
Coetzee has made a few good offloads…good to see…
Brilliant work by Burden: Break, run, run over a Bok and offload! Man, we need him back!!!
Unfortunately the hands from there weren’t great by the backs and the world xv can’t round off…
@gregkaos (Comment 72) : Thanks, same here. Neither of those are functional. Radio 2000 commentary not much better 🙄
Burden but ran over Willie properly!!
Burden now catches the up and under!!
Louw has been a bit anonymous…
@gregkaos (Comment 72) : Thanks. Im also trying firstrow and 1wizi but nothing…
Great defence Etzebeth…but the world xv still have the ball…and win a penalty…
Bismarck has blood on his nose…he’ll need a blood bin…
The world xv will take a shot at goal here…
The kick is short and wide and it remains 22-3…
22-3 after 32 mins…
Another penalty to the world xv…Victor playing Flip in the air in the lineout…
Burden scores!!!
Whitely won the ball in the lineout against the throw…but tapped it back and Burden pounced…
Burden has been good!!
The conversion is good and it 22-10…
Whitely collects the high bal and does well to clear it to Pienaar who puts in a good kick…
I wouldn’t mind getting Burdan back
Burden with another good lineout throw…
The Boks attack off a lineout but concede the breakdown penalty…
Armitage again not supporting his own body weight…but he is there quickly!
Coetzee with the turnover and the Boks with the counter attack…
A kick ahead doesn’t work and the world xv counterattack…and then they concede the breakdown penalty. Great work Coetzee?
Beast with a huge gash above the eye…
I want to hurl when I hear “Bismarck attempts a grubber”
The Boks take a shot and Pollard misses a simple kick…
The hooter goes for halftime, but the Boks still attack…
Pollard tries to be a hero and the move breaks down as he is nailed…
That makes it 22-10 at halftime…
@pastorshark (Comment 102) : Time to bring Lambie on?
I can’t believe Sky has so much crap on, including old soccer replays, but can’t show this game. Fucking wankers.
@Ben (Comment 104) : Not going to happen, he’ll get his 10 mins at the end 🙄
@Seth101 (Comment 106) : At fullback
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 99) : I think it was Kriel who attempted the grubber?
@Ben (Comment 104) : My son has been calling for it since the second minute!!
Nyakane is on…
@pastorshark (Comment 108) : Nope Bissie did try one.
Victor clean misses the kickoff!
This time the world xv is penalised for not supporting body weight!
Burden is off the field. He was injured when scoring his try…got a knee in his back…
@Seth101 (Comment 111) : Aha…missed that…
@pastorshark (Comment 108) : Not according to the geniuses at Radio 2000. 😕
Louw is penalised at the breakdown…
Harris will take the shot at goal…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 116) :
Harris misses the kick and it is still 22-10…
Another steal by Coetzee! He has outplayed Louw big time so far!
Sharp play by Whitely again brings the world xv attack to an end and the Boks clear…
What the hell was that by Habana?
Weird effort to field the kick…and should have been a penalty to the world xv…
A bit of back and forth ends with a break in play for Jannie’s contact lense…
Good lineout work by the Boks today!
Good tackle Pietersen as the world xv attacks…
Flip scores…but only after a Gurthro knock…no try…
22-10 after 49 mins…
The Boks have a defensive scrum in their 22…
Good scrum Boks…and Pienaar clears tidily…
World xv replace their props…
Schalk is about to come on…
The world xv have a great attacking opportunity, but turn it over. The Boks counterattack with some sharp work by Willie and earn a penalty…
Schalk is on for Whitely? OK…
What a try Boks!!!!
Wow!! Willie and Habana just wonderful…
Willie set it up, Habana with a great offload in the tackle to Willie and he scores!!
@pastorshark (Comment 135) : Maybe Meyer has seen enough to know that Whiteley is the real thing.
Pollard misses another kick!
@pastorshark (Comment 135) : That’s Heyneke for you. 🙄
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 139) : I hope so…he had a very good game…
Lambie on for Habana…
I TOLD YOU. HM will never take his favorite off, Lambie at fullback.
Willie in for a hatrick…but after a knock…no try…
Lambie fullback, Willie wing…
Nice work Lambie…Boks continuity has been good today…but turnover penalty there…
Vincent Koch has been on for a while too!
TMO to check foul play…
Oh wow…ref wants to card Louw…
Sounds like Louw has been pretty ordinary.
That would be very harsh…
He is carded, it is dangerous…but it kind of sums up Louw’s game…
The Boks win the lineout against the throw on their line…good stuff…
Well I don’t disagree with the card.
27-10 after 60 mins…
Jean de Villiers is on…
Kriel must be sitting wondering how Louw is playing and he is not even in the squad.
Going to be very embarrassing is he get reinjured cause the rushed him
HUUUUUGE hit by Coetzee!! Jeepers he has been good…I am so glad he is still a Shark! Wow!! What a tackle!!
Tafua absolutely crrrrrunched…
JdV is playing at outside centre…on for Kriel. Kriel can feel happy about his game…
@Seth101 (Comment 155) : Hmmm…I don’t know…
Scrum penalty Boks…crap kick Pollard…
@Seth101 (Comment 158) : Travesty! 😯
Strauss is on…
Now de Villiers gets crunched in the tackle with his first touch…
Oh wow…de Villiers with a great run puts Willie in for his hatrick!!!
Well done Jean…
Pollard misses his fourth kick…or fifth! He hasn’t covered himself in glory today…
WOW! JDV has lost pace…
We need a kicker it seems.
32-10 after 66 mins…
@Seth101 (Comment 171) : Loooong time ago.
@pastorshark (Comment 170) : What are you talking about? in HMs eyes he is having a blinder!
@Seth101 (Comment 171) : That’s a bit harsh…first game in 8 months on a wet field…he did very well!!
@Seth101 (Comment 175) :
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 172) : Yeees…
@pastorshark (Comment 176) : He’s probably going to be the slowest centre at the WRC:
Willie tackles a hooker…or sort of…didn’t use his arms and gets yellowed…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 179) : We’ll see…
Strauss vs Burden, well I know who I would pick.
@pastorshark (Comment 180) : It was kind of a trip with the shoulder…
@pastorshark (Comment 181) : 😀
The Bok defence keeps the world xv out repeatedly…
Finally the world xv knock it…good defence…
32-10 after 71 mins…
I can’t wait for the world cup so I can listen to good commentators.
Schalk with a good turnover…Pollard with another crap kick…
Flip chips it straight to Lambie who launches the counterattack…
De Allende runs it back into traffic instead of going wide after Lambie’s little run…
Try Reinach!!
Good work Lambie…neat collect of a tricky kick, puts Pollard into the gap and Pollard puts Reinach away…well done!
Aaaand will be the only thing HM remembers about Pollard in this game.
Lambie takes over the kicking duties and nails it in pouring rain…straight down the middle…there is your answer Spirit… 😆
@pastorshark (Comment 195) :
Lambie in the thick of things again…puts Pietersen away…Pietersen kicks, but it bounces out just ahead of the charging Lambie…
39-10 after 76 mins…
Several good bits of work by Reinach…ends with his kick going out on the corner flag…well done…
World xv takes it quickly…good attack…great tackle Lambie…
@pastorshark (Comment 197) : Did he absolutely HAVE to kick?
Reinach earning himself a start next game hopefully.
Ohhhh…great try de Allende!!!
Did he actually touch that down?
Turnover Schalk…good pass Schalk…de Allende from his 22, runs, chips, kicks ahead and falls on it…well done!!
Lambie nails it straight through the middle from the touch line…I rest my case!!!
@Seth101 (Comment 204) : Ok yea in the slowmo he did
46-10 full time!!
Good win Boks! Can’t wait to watch the highlights.
@pastorshark (Comment 206) : We all do! 😀
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 201) : 😆 Probably not…but when he does put in a good tactical kick it is noteworthy…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 210) : Pollard was crap today…
Lambie showing Pollard what it looks like to actually get a kick over.
I was impressed with: Etzebeth, Coetzee, Whitely, Pienaar, de Allende, Kriel and Willie…
I was disappointed with: Louw and Pollard…
Lambie, Reinach, de Villiers and Burger all looked good coming off the bench…
@Seth101 (Comment 213) : Absolutely! From anywhere…
@pastorshark (Comment 214) : Reinach was much better than Piennar
@pastorshark (Comment 216) : Reinach was good…but Pienaar was much sharper than last season. He had a good game…
This moron commentator just said both Louw and Pollard played well.
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 209) : A few scrappy bits…but all in all it was good. We gave the ball a lot of air in those conditions!!
@Seth101 (Comment 220) : What?!?! He must have had a few too many! They were poor…
Probably the most balanced back row weve played in a while
Thought whitely worked and marcel was a monster at 7
@byron (Comment 224) : Yup…they were the stars of the loose trio!
Marcell was really good!!!
So…46-10…
Right…time to pack for holiday!!!
John Phillip Botha? I’m sorry what??
Sub lambie for pollard. I’m happy. Great display. Whiteley was awesome. De Allende and krie,l sublime. Bissie and Jannie we will miss you.
@pastorshark (Comment 214) : Beast also put in a lot of work on defence around the rucks, and Bissie was pretty good too, bar his usual penalties.
Have to say I like this combo of De Allende and Kriel. Would be interesting to see them against a better team.
Schalk. My hero . No one has more passion for this game. This man is 2 parts rugby 1 part man. Love these boys.
Not been a fan of Pienaar, but he had one of his best games for the Boks. Hope he can keep it up.
Marcell. Don’t even get me started…
And Lamborghini, what can’t he do?
@pastorshark (Comment 228) : Gute Fahrt und viel Spaß!
Sharks U21 beat the WP 17-13
@Bokhoring (Comment 231) : Agreed…
@Bokhoring (Comment 232) : Agreed again…
@Bokhoring (Comment 234) : Aaaand agreed again…
@Spirit of Rugby (Comment 237) : Danke!
@sharks_lover (Comment 238) : Wonderful stuff!!
@Bokhoring (Comment 232) : ja they really looked good!!!
Bokke looked good in the first halve when they kept the ball in hand!!! Hope they carry on with that and not go back to the kicking game as they did for large parts of the second halve!!!!
Must say that was the best bok game I’ve seen ruan play ever. Matfield play surprisingly well too, lets keep perspective though, this was agnst the W15.
That moment late in the second half where lambie jumped onto the back of a player was some what strange .. Your not that heavy pat, that move only works with jannie lol
@revolverocelot (Comment 246) : Imagine Matt Stevens jumping on your back! 🙂
So i just remembered that the guy who scored a hatrick yesterday is a Sharks player
Great opening game for the Boks. As far as I am concerned Burden is a better bet for the world cup than Strauss. Marcell was my MOTM, he was immense and he was everywhere. Matfield certainly needs to learn how to clean out at the ruks and he cant dominate a tackle without help. Willie was good except his strange tackling technique. Pollard was shocking today apart from the pass to put Reinach away. Lambie was fantastic when he came on and so was Reinach and Schalk. Our centres look very dangerous. Whiteley was good and showed why he is a valuable asset in the squad. I would start Lambie, Reinach and Schalk for Pollard, Pienaar and Flouw for the Aussie game. But nevertheless great game by the boys and I am confident of.us doing very well this season
@Ben (Comment 247) : oh the horror lol
boks always look good agnst the w15, the true test is the nxt three games agnst oz, arg and nz. That will give us a better perspective on what we need to work on leadinh into the wc
Im really impressed by de ellande’s play yester. To think he was playing club rugby down here in cape town 2.5 yrs ago
is there a review anywhere on the net of the u21 game ths weekend against wp ?
If so, please post the link
@revolverocelot (Comment 251) : Here is a short write up from one site:
“DHL Western Province 13 (0), Cell C Sharks 17 (3)
The Cell C Sharks came away with a close, but well-deserved 17-13 win over the DHL Western Province at City Park on Saturday. The visitors used the windy and cold conditions better and took control in the second half of a tight match, thanks to a powerful bench that included Thomas du Toit and Dan du Preez. They also capitalised on some ill-discipline from the home side, with scrumhalf Rowan Gouws kicking four penalties.
Scorers:
Western Province 13 (0). Try: Christo van der Merwe (replacement flank). Conversion: Ernst Stapelberg (flyhalf). Penalty: Stapelberg.
Sharks 17 (3). Try: Riaan O’Neill (flyhalf). Penalties: Rowan Gouws (scrumhalf, 4).
@revolverocelot (Comment 250) : ja must say he really impressed me but then I always liked him even though he played for the Stormers.
Craig Burden please come back to the sharks.
Before we get too excited about this World XV game lets just remember to take it in context. This game was vital as a hit out before the more serious stuff so in that regard it was good. World XV were pretty average but the way they dominated 2nd half possession doesnt bode well for Boks fitness. Boks still allow opposition to stay in the game through many penalties. Having said that i thought it was a good first hit out and HM was able to try a few things and combos. Ive said it before- the bench will play a huge role this WC and in that regard i was pleased with who was on the bench and how HM used them.