Andre Esterhuizen said he was happy to be able to show a different side to his game after an excellent performance for the Springboks in the victory over the Wallabies in Pretoria. DYLAN JACK reports.

The Springboks, fielding a side mixed between senior regulars and fringe players, made an excellent start to the season by demolishing the Wallabies in a six-try bonus-point victory at a packed Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.

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Playing in his 12th Test match – just his third start since 2019 – Esterhuizen produced arguably his best performance in the green and gold, showing some nice touches with the ball in hand, putting in a few clever kicks and picking up a try assist.

“It was a good game, the boys wanted to play, attacked well and our physicality was sound,” the inside centre said after the match. “We had a lot of chances in this game, so it was nice to showcase what I can do with the ball and a different skillset.”

Having missed out on selection for the final squad that travelled to Japan for the 2019 World Cup, Esterhuizen is determined to keep improving and ensure history doesn’t repeat itself when the Springboks announced the final 33-man squad that will attempt to defend their world title in France.

“There’s still a lot to work on. We left quite a few tries out there,” he said.

“Every game, you have to make a statement and leave your mark on the game. For me, there is still a lot to improve on. I am very happy with my game, but there are still a lot of things I can work on and improve.”

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Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images