Good afternoon, and welcome along to our live coverage of South Africa versus Scotland at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Irish eyes will be on their Pool B counterparts in Marseille.
Kick-off is at 4.45pm, with Virgin Media One showing the game.
We’ll have everything you need to know right here, though.
Here are the teams for today’s showdown at the Stade Vélodrome:
South Africa
- 15. Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers)
- 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls)
- 13. Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)
- 12. Damian de Allende (Wild Knights)
- 11. Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath)
- 10. Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers)
- 9. Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles)
- 1. Steven Kitshoff (Ulster)
- 2. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)
- 3. Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers)
- 4. Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
- 5. Franco Mostert (Honda Heat)
- 6. Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92)
- 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
- 8. Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)
Replacements
- 16. Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
- 17. Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
- 18. Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92)
- 19. RG Snyman (Munster)
- 20. Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls)
- 21. Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby)
- 22. Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
- 23. Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls)
Scotland
- 15. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors)
- 12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors)
- 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby)
- 9. Ben White (Toulon)
- 1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 2. George Turner (Glasgow Warriors)
- 3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
- 4. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
- 5. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 6. Jamie Ritchie (captain, Edinburgh Rugby)
- 7. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors)
- 8. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors)
Replacements
- 16. Dave Cherry (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors)
- 18. WP Nel (Edinburgh Rugby)
- 19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors)
- 20. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
- 21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors)
- 22. Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby)
- 23. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors)
Our man Murray Kinsella is in situ in Marseille.
Class stadium. pic.twitter.com/Xe5F9j4dQ4
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) September 10, 2023
Faf de Klerk out first on his landmark cap. South Africa have been singing in the tunnel, and they’re all out on the pitch now.
Anthem time.
A special day for @fafdeklerk 5️⃣0️⃣#StrongerTogether #Springboks #RWC2023 #RSAvSCO pic.twitter.com/QguRrZXLJ6
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 10, 2023
Call it — who is going to win?
Poll Results:
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
1 min: The Springboks get us up and running. Angus Gardner is the referee.
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
2 mins: South Africa pile the pressure on early. Finn Russell’s clearance from his own 22 is half blocked into touch, Scotland win the lineout and can breathe a sigh of relief.
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
5 mins: Scotland win the game’s first scrum and move it quick. It’s physical, heating up nicely. Earlier, Mannie Libbok’s drop goal attempt went wayward.
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
8 mins: South Africa are testing Scotland in the air, and Blair Kinghorn fails this one. Scrum time, Scots infringement and the Boks will go for the posts.
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
10 mins: Libbok fluffs his lines, the deadlock yet to be broken.
Scotland 0-0 South Africa
12 mins: Russell is pinged for a deliberate knock-on, Libbok is lining another penalty up. The Boks had moved nicely through the phases there, but the Scots stepped up to the mark and had done more than enough to keep them at bay until Russell’s error.
South Africa 3-0 Scotland
13 mins: He makes no mistake this time around, and we’re off the mark.
South Africa 3-0 Scotland
16 mins: The game is opening up a little more, loose at times. Scotland’s lineout in the corner malfunctions and South Africa break, Libbok urging them up-field with a grubber. But Kinghorn is there again with a superb clearance.
South Africa 3-0 Scotland
20 mins: South Africa had been on the front foot, looking dangerous but a knock-on from Damian de Allende stops them in their tracks.
Ww go to a waterbreak.
Scotland simply have to be nailing their lineouts when they get chances in Boks half.
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) September 10, 2023
South Africa 3-0 Scotland
22 mins: Much better from Scotland on the restart, great scrum 15m from their line and they clear. Bit of a scuffle, and it all sparks to life…
South Africa 3-0 Scotland
23 mins: Ben White and De Allende, along with the captains, are brought in by Gardner for a word after their tangle. “Calm down,” they’re told, “No more scrapping”.
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
24 mins: Libbok adds another penalty, which was won by the industrious Cheslin Kobe. Seems the Boks coaching staff were signalling to go for the posts with a light from the technical area, interesting.
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
Munster’s RG Snyman is in for South Africa.
Blow for the Boks losing Eben Etzebeth before the half-hour mark.
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) September 10, 2023
RG Snyman on in the second row.
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
27 mins: TMO is up for a Finn Russell no arms hit on Kolbe. Penalty South Africa for foul play. Russell appeared to injure his ribs, but he’s okay. Before that, Kurt-Lee Arendse had interrupted a promising Scotland attack, robbing a pass to Pierre Schoeman.
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
33 mins: Big chance missed for Scotland. Darcy Graham really should have passed it off to Duhan van der Merwe amidst an excellent team move, but he’s brought down. All came after a good Russell kick and lineout. He nearly had a 50:22 earlier, but Kolbe denied. South Africa coming close at the other end now…
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
35 mins: The Scots step up again, winning a penalty for the opposition not rolling away. Under pressure, their scrum is being tested time and time again, and it’s been rock solid for the most part. Huge celebration as they win a scrum penalty – could this be a big momentum swinger?
South Africa 6-0 Scotland
39 mins: Another huge moment, greeted as if it’s a try with Scotland turning the South Africa scrum over. Russell is having a go at the posts now, the last act of the half.
Half time: South Africa 6-3 Scotland
Russell nails it, and Scotland head for the dressing room with a spring in their step.
An intriguing first half, nicely poised for the rest…
What a way to finish the half for the Scots!
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) September 10, 2023
Scotland had the two best try-scoring chances of the game too.
This is going to be a riveting second half.
Rob Kearney, on Virgin Media, reckons the referee has gotten a few decisions wrong. Thinks the officials missed a red card and two yellows — the former for Jesse Kriel, which wasn’t even flagged, and one of the latter for Russell. “A cheap shot” on Kolbe, he says.
First-half reaction from both camps:
A nervy first-half comes to an end in Marseille ⏱️#StrongerTogether #Springboks #RWC2023 #RSAvSCO pic.twitter.com/BaPUVyjVB9
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 10, 2023
Three points in it at the half.#AsOne | #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/dwwmgh2D8u
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) September 10, 2023
South Africa 6-3 Scotland
40 mins: We’re back underway for the second half.
South Africa 6-3 Scotland
43 mins: Libbock’s penalty falls short, missing the opportunity to extend their lead after the scrum bites back.
South Africa 6-3 Scotland
45 mins: The Boks are purring, moving through the phases like a train with a stunning Snyman offload among the highlights. But Kinghorn disrupts their rhythm as the ball comes back towards the big Munster man. It just stems their flow, though, the knock on meaning a scrum….
TRY for South Africa! South Africa 11-3 Scotland
47 mins: Pieter-Steph du Toit crashes over after relentless Boks pressure. Kriel was stopped just short of the line, they scrummaged and went again and again and again. Libbock fails to add the extras.
TRY for South Africa! South Africa 18-3 Scotland
50 mins: A sensational cross-field ball from Libbock finds Arendse and they’re over again. Faf de Klerk adds the conversion. What a start to the second half for South Africa.
“And you still have the full Bomb Squad to come on,” Ian McKinley adds on commentary.
Scotland really played their way into trouble for that second try.
— Murray Kinsella (@Murray_Kinsella) September 10, 2023
Sometimes you just can't beat Boks defence and you're asking for trouble to keep trying. Needed to kick, but got turned over.
Some changes in recent minutes…
South Africa
- Bongi Mbonambi for Malcolm Marx
- Ox Nche for Steven Kitshoff
- Trevor Nyakane for Frans Malherbe
- Marx is back on now
Scotland
- Dave Cherrie for Pierre Schoeman
- Jamie Bhatti for George Turner
- WP Nel for Zander Fagerson
- Scott Cummings for Gilchrist
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
59 mins: Scotland try to respond but South Africa have their tails up. They keep them out, their new front row winning penalties. De Klerk has a go with one but it tails wide. Water break time.
20 minutes to go, and another replacement to update you on: Duane Vermeulen for Japser Wiese. Marx is off now, with Mbonambi back on. Think that’s us up to date.
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
62 mins: Scotland think they’re over, but no. Superb 50:22 by Russell, they restart — but too quickly, and with a different ball. They go again…
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
64 mins: Penalty South Africa after Scotland hold on. Lines cleared, and the Boks are looking for another attacking platform. A rolling maul off a line-out is just that.
Attendance of over 63,000 has just been announced, the game turning really stop-start as South Africa look to see this one out. Two changes a-piece:
- Marco van Staden for Siya Kolisi
- Willie le Roux for Libbok
- Ali Price for Ben White
- Cameron Redpath for Sione Tuipulotu
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
70 mins: Scotland are tiring, more and more mistakes creeping in with their line-out really letting them down. South Africa’s game management certainly hasn’t helped.
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
72 mins: They’re turned over as they move through the phases, and South Africa counter quick as they look to kill the game entirely. Electric run from Kolbe; they find width from left to right, but Arendse’s kick is claimed by Van der Merwe.
South Africa 18-3 Scotland
77 mins: Le Roux loses it, Scotland grubber up the line but it limps into touch. It was Ali Price trying to link up with Kinghorn. Grant Williams collects the loose ball from the subsequent line-out and heads on a sensational run up the field, but he’s eventually stopped by Russell after beating several others.
The clock is in the red now, Scotland chasing a consolation score…
It isn’t to be, that’s that.
Full time: South Africa 18-3 Scotland
Job done for South Africa. Their superb start to the second half sent them on their way, 12 unanswered points in 10 minutes. They really turned it on, powering past a battling Scotland although delicately poised at the interval.
Murray Kinsella is in Marseille for us, and his match report will be on The 42 imminently. Thanks for following the liveblog, enjoy the rest of your Sunday evening!
