Best Boks v New Zealand: Mighty Marx Rocks On Record-Breaking Night

Malcolm Marx was central to the carnage as he and the Springboks powered into the record books with a historic 35-7 hammering of the All Blacks in their final World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Friday night, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

It was Springbok brutality at its absolute best as the men in green and gold dominated their arch-rivals like never before. Commanding from the kick-off, they overwhelmed New Zealand with their ruthless aggression, which led to two yellow cards, a red card to Scott Barrett in the 39th minute and battered bodies in black across the park. 

The 28-point margin is South Africa’s biggest-ever win over their old enemies and serves as a massive statement two weeks out from the start of their world title defence in France. 

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

Malcolm Marx

The forward pack were the MVPs of the record rout, imposing their will from the onset and never seizing. Their physicality and intensity were off the charts as they mercilessly mauled the All Blacks, dominating the gain line battle and bossing the set pieces. 

Marx was central to the destruction. A bewildering beast in open play, the 29-year-old was one of the Boks’ primary ball carriers (eight carries and a line break), his power on full display as he built momentum for the world champions, while he steamrolled Ardie Savea during a particularly memorable surge. Defensively, he took names and popped up everywhere, making 11 tackles, and shook off a cheap shot from Scott Barrett. 

And yet, for as commanding as his work in general play was, it was superseded by his set-piece prowess, which enabled the green and gold machine to fire on all cylinders. The laser-like accuracy of his lineout throwing is huge, more so than any other hooker’s given the driving maul is such a big part of the Boks’ brand of rugby. His consistency is unrivalled and that dependability is invaluable to his team, captain and coach.

After being held up earlier, Marx etched his name in history by breaking Schalk Burger’s record for most tries by a Springbok forward when he scored his 17th try from a lineout move shortly after halftime. Undoubtedly the best hooker in world rugby, he’s now cemented himself as an-time great of Bok rugby. 

Andre Esterhuizen

The “Agent of Chaos” cometh. Esterhuizen went on the rampage in midfield, producing a colossal complete performance that should make Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber rethink whether they want to stick with Damian de Allende as their first-choice inside centre. 

De Allende has been a great servant of Bok rugby and was one of the stars of the 2019 World Cup triumph, but he hasn’t been at his best for quite some time. Esterhuizen’s hunger is evident and his impact undeniable. So superb was his showing that it may well be looked back on as a changing of the guard.

So powerful and explosive, he charged over the advantage line at will, offloaded in contact, threw spiralling long passes and stabbed a grubber through – variation that’s missing with De Allende at No 12. While the Bok coaches ponder which horse to back, Jordie Barrett will be having nightmares about how Esterhuizen effortlessly broke his tackle attempt and rocketed downfield.  

Eben Etzebeth

A Bok bashing isn’t complete without the enforcer and Etzebeth brought it in more ways than one. The fire-breathing centurion was ferocious on both sides of the ball, asserting his dominance in a disciplined manner, with his mauling of Richie Mo’unga among his most memorable power plays. 

What’s more, he was exceptional in the lineouts, producing two key steals. The first, on the 30-minute mark, created a try-scoring opportunity, and the second was a timely intervention on his 5m line just before halftime. It was just the latest reminder that he’s the total package. 

Quintin van Jaarsveld

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.