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Best Boks v Wales: Arendse Soars In Cardiff

The Springboks completed their first end-of-year clean sweep since 2013 when they walloped Wales 45-12 in Cardiff on Saturday.
Springboks

The Springboks completed their first end-of-year clean sweep since 2013 when they walloped Wales 45-12 in Cardiff on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

It was all South Africa from the kick-off with the back-to-back world champions scoring four unanswered tries. Wales finally made their first entry into the attacking 22 in the 36th minute and scored with the final play of the first half, giving them a shred of encouragement with the scoreboard reading 26-5.

The Boks stayed in control, but the expected shift into a higher gear didn’t occur. It took 14 minutes for them to open the scoring in the second half, and they added two more tries, with Wales scoring a consolation try as Rassie Erasmus’ men ended their season with a dominant, if not clinical, win.

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

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Kurt-Lee Arendse

Arendse showcased his all-round game in a cracking complete performance highlighted by a try and two try assists.

Yes, he’s a prolific finisher as evidenced by him making it look easy to step Blair Murray and score his first try against the Dragons and 18th in all for the Boks.

However, he showed he can create tries as well by sending Eben Etzebeth and Aphelele Fassi in. His set-up of his fullback, in particular, oozed class and beauty.

The winger’s attacking prowess caused Wales plenty of problems throughout, with his brilliant break early in the second half being one of an unrivalled five-line breaks.

As always, he punched above his weight on defence, the highlight of his outing on that front being a strong tackle on his direct opponent Josh Hathaway, while he was awesome in the air.

Franco Mostert

“If you start me up, I’ll never stop.” That lyric from the Rolling Stones hit ‘Start Me Up’ summed up Mostert’s tireless 80-minute effort.

The seasoned second-rower is known for his extraordinary motor and it was on full display at the Principality Stadium as he made 15 carries and a Bok-best 12 tackles in just his second game after recovering from a broken leg.

He ran a sublime line to slice through for the opening try and while he conceded a couple of soft penalties, it was a magnificent performance by Mostert, which earned him the Man of the Match award.

Jasper Wiese

Wiese ended the season with a bang after missing the start of it through suspension. He was abrasive and heavily involved, softening up the Welsh with relentless hard-running and crushing cleanouts. 

The brick house No. 8 made a match-high 19 carries, systematically smashing the hosts to smithereens, and brought the pain on defence as well in a Duane Vermeulen-esque performance.

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Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.

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