South Africa v New Zealand LIVE: Rugby result and reaction after Springboks thrash All Blacks
The Springboks and All Blacks square off in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham
South Africa laid down a marker ahead of the Rugby World Cup with a record win over New Zealand at Twickenham.
In the final warm-up fixture for both southern hemisphere sides before the tournament in France, the Springboks were close to irresistable, capitalising on the All Blacks’ indiscipline to produce a statement 35-7 thrashing.
First half tries from Siya Kolisi and Kurt-Lee Arendse were followed by scores from Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi and Kwagga Smith after the interval as the world champions flexed their muscles ahead of the defence of their crown in front of a close-to-capacity crowd in London.
Cam Roigard’s spectacular late consolation was all that New Zealand could muster on a disastrous evening for head coach Ian Foster, with Scott Barrett sent off as thee All Blacks suffered their biggest ever defeat.
The lock was shown a second yellow card after dropping a shoulder into Marx’s head and will face a disciplinary hearing, while starting tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax was also carted off with a serious-looking leg injury.
The All Blacks open the World Cup against hosts France in Paris on Friday 8 September, while South Africa begin their campaign against Scotland in Marseille two days later.
Follow the action from Twickenham with our blog below and you can find the latest rugby tips and betting offers here:
Team News – New Zealand
New Zealand are without Brodie Retallick and Shannon Frizell, which creates a rare starting opportunity for Luke Jacobson in the back five of the All Blacks’ pack. Jacobson occupies the blindside in Frizell’s absence and is about the only member of Ian Foster’s starting fifteen who would consider himself unlikely to also make the run-on side for the World Cp opener against France, with Richie Mo’unga and Beauden Barrett paired in playmaking partnership at fly half and full back.
Foster had opted to match the Springboks with a 6/2 bench split, with lock Josh Lord called up to fill one of the replacement spots despite missing out on selection for the tournament. Cam Roigard gets the nod ahead of Finlay Christie as Aaron Smith’s back-up.
New Zealand XV: 1. Ethan de Groot, 2. Dane Coles, 3. Tyrel Lomax; 4. Scott Barrett, 5. Samuel Whitelock; 6. Luke Jacobson, 7. Sam Cane (capt.), 8. Ardie Savea; 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Richie Mo’unga; 11. Mark Telea, 12. Jordie Barrett, 13. Rieko Ioane, 14. Will Jordan; 15. Beauden Barrett.
Replacements: 16. Samisoni Taukei’aho, 17. Tamaiti Williams, 18. Fletcher Newell, 19. Tupou Vaa’i, 20. Josh Lord, 21. Dalton Papali’i; 22. Cam Roigard, 23. Anton Lienert-Brown.
Team News - South Africa
South Africa have named a close to full strength forward pack, with Siya Kolisi again captaining the Springboks after impressing on his return from injury against Wales last weekend. Veteran number eight Duane Vermeulen is brought into the back row while Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert combine at lock.
There is a little more experimentation from Jacques Nienaber in the backline, with talented youngster Canan Moodie selected to start at outside centre for the first time in his senior career. Moodie may be vying for a starting World Cup place on the wing with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi - the pair combine with Damian Willemse in the back three.
There’s a late change on the bench - Willie le Roux is ruled out with a niggle and Kwagga Smith steps in, giving a frankly ludicrous 7:1 split.
South Africa XV: 1. Steven Kitshoff, 2. Malcolm Marx, 3. Frans Malherbe; 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Franco Mostert; 6. Siya Kolisi (capt.), 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8. Duane Vermeulen; 9. Faf de Klerk, 10. Manie Libbok; 11. Makazole Mapimpi, 12. Andre Esterhuizen, 13. Canan Moodie, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse; 15. Damian Willemse.
Replacements: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Trevor Nyakane, 19. Jean Kleyn, 20. RG Snyman, 21. Marco van Staden; 22. Cobus Reinach; 23. Kwagga Smith.
South Africa vs New Zealand
It’s a Springbok takeover at Twickenham, the streets around the home of English rugby flooded by a sea of green shirts as the significant South African population in southwest London come out in force with the world champions in town. This should be all sorts of fun, a close-to-capacity Friday night crowd ready to enjoy an encounter between two genuine World Cup contenders.
Let’s check in on the two teams...
South Africa vs New Zealand
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of South Africa vs New Zealand.
The two southern hemisphere giants are squaring off in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up match in front of an expected sell-out crowd at Twickenham in London.
Both the All Blacks and the Springboks have named strong starting line-ups as they look to fine-tune preparations ahead of the World Cup getting underway in a fortnight’s time.
We’ll bring you full live coverage of the action this evening.
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