Boks in a Test of firsts in Bloemfontein

IT WILL be a Test of firsts when the Springboks take on Portugal in the final mid-year Test of the season in Bloemfontein today.

It will be the first time a female referee – Scot Holly Davidson – will be a match official in a Test that involves the world champions. It will also be the first time Salmaan Moerat will captain the Boks, and the first time South Africa faces Os Lobos in international rugby.

The match will be in front of a sold-out Toyota Stadium in the City of Roses (5pm start), where the Springboks will look to return to winning ways ahead of the Rugby Championship next month.

After going down to Ireland in a physical second Test last Saturday, the world champions are ready to front-up again as they take on Portugal with a blend of the Springbok blueprint and some running rugby.

The visitors were one of the surprise packages at last year’s World Cup in France, upsetting Fiji in the pool stages.

According to Moerat, they have to be wary about the mix-bag of threats their opponents have in their arsenal.

“They were one of the stand-out teams at the World Cup; not a lot of people expected much from them and they performed well. They beat Fiji, who are a quality team.

“Their style of rugby is different to any other team. They promote the ball and spread it wide. They have elusive loose forwards, great backs and an outstanding captain. We really need to be ready and pitch. It will be important to stick to our plan and force our game on them.”

The Bok captain added that they will not alter their approach to the referee at all just because it’s a female match official. Davidson has over 30 Tests under her belt and has officiated in the United Rugby Championship.

Although Moerat hasn’t personally dealt with her, he says nothing will change.

“We always treat the refs with the utmost respect and her appointment is well-deserved. She’s shown over the years that she is very capable. I haven’t dealt with her yet, but from the games I’ve watched, she has been exceptional.”

Moerat said it’s an honour to captain the Boks for the first time, but he will count on the other experienced players to assist him, as he had already tapped into the knowledge of regular captain Siya Kolisi this past week.