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KweséESPN Staff
After the first quarter of their debut for the Springboks, the speed twins Sibusiso Nkosi and Aphiwe Dyantyi had one hell of an introduction to Test rugby.
England were carving the Springboks up in the wide channels and found an awful lot of space on the flanks which the two young wingers were guarding. It wasn’t all their fault, though, as Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus blamed himself for not anticipating England’s tactics of playing with width, even from their 22.
However, such is the confidence of these two players — and with the help of some senior players — that they looked like seasoned campaigners in the next 60 minutes of the match. In the end the Boks won, with Nkosi scoring a brace of tries and Dyantyi creating one before crossing the whitewash himself.
“We always knew we were going to win,” Nkosi said of the Springboks’ mindsetwhen they went 24-3 down in the 28th minute.
“They presented a different challenge and it just needed for us to adapt and we did accordingly and gained dominance as the game went on.
“I wasn’t nervous in the beginning. Obviously the team didn’t start on the front foot, the older guys did well to bring us into a circle and tell us to calm down: ‘It is Test match rugby and it does happen.’ The little amount of nerves I did experience,they were diminished very quickly by the older guys.”
Nkosi’s two tries in the first half ensured that the Springboks took a narrow lead into the break, which must have been a massive psychological blow for the England team. “It is a huge honour to score on my debut. Credit to the service we got from the inside backs and we blended well as the back three and we are very happy about that,” Nkosi said.
“It was very exciting, I did my best to get keep myself calm. It was very early in the game and I still had the entire game to play and I can’t get comfortable just because I’ve scored a try in the Springbok jersey.”
Dyantyi has a habit of scoring tries on debut, which started during his time with the University of Johannesburg in the Varsity Cup. He scored a spectacular try on his Super Rugby debut for the Lions this year, and has really made a name for himself a clinical finisher.
“We were actually talking about it inside [the changeroom]. It’s from my UJ days, I guess it’s my lucky charm,” Dyantyi said. “I don’t think it gets better than that [scoring his first try].”
Veteran fullback Willie le Roux played massive role on attack in that first Test, with his incisive running and angles of attack creating space for the two youngsters to showcase their blinding speed. If this three can stay together, they can become one of the most potent back-three combos in the world.
“The style of play that Willie plays and S’bu’s really complements mine and especially how they communicate. Willie’s experience was very pivotal, so I think we can only build from here.”