Bok midfield showed promise

Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Francois Venter impressed for the Springboks against the Barbarians at Wembley on Saturday.

In a match where most Bok debutants underperformed, the formerly untried midfield partnership between Janse van Rensburg and Venter flourished. Trailing 31-19 heading into the final 10 minutes, the duo scored in the 73rd and 77th minutes respectively to clinch a lucky draw for South Africa.

Janse van Rensburg played particularly well, advancing over the gainline with every ball-carry and breaching the Barbarians defence three times. But what stood out most about his performance, is how he managed to keep the ball alive in contact and his effortless presentation to the support runners.

Venter did less on attack, but he was solid in an otherwise defensively poor backline.

While Venter will get an opportunity to grow and develop further on this end-of-year tour, Janse van Rensburg returns home as he was not selected in the premier Bok squad for the upcoming Tests against England, Italy and Wales.

Photo: Dave Rogers/Getty Images

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