The Boks paid back their loss at Eden Park with interest in Wellington on Saturday night, inflicting New Zealand’s largest-ever defeat in a thoroughly dominant performance.
22-year-old Sharks winger Ethan Hooker made his first start in a Springbok jersey but played with the composure of a seasoned international, barely putting a foot wrong and demonstrating exactly why he is so highly rated in the Bok camp.
Asked to describe his emotions following the stunning victory, Hooker replied: “I really can’t describe what I’m feeling right now.
“I mean, the atmosphere in the stadium, the fans behind us, everything’s so surreal, and I’m just so happy to be a part of it.
“It was incredibly fast. Back, forth, back, forth. I mean, they played extremely well.
“But I think we just stuck to our guns, stuck to our prep. We came up with very good solutions during the week, and it paid off.”
The highlight of Hooker’s night came when he broke free inside the Boks’ 22 and charged nearly 50 metres up the field, which led directly to Manie Libbok’s crossfield kick and Kwagga Smith’s try.
“I feel really privileged,” Hooker said when asked about the memorable run.
“The coaches, they all say that they back me and it really gives me that support to express myself in the field, and I feel like I can be who I am on the field.”
Hooker played the full 80 minutes while a number of his teammates in the backline were forced off through injury, yet he handled the challenge exceptionally well.
“We all know each other’s abilities,” he said. “We all know we can play out of position, this position, that position.
“No matter where we play, we just back each other.”
Flyhalf Feinberg-Mngomezulu was one of those players forced to make an early exit, but he was just as delighted as his teammates with what unfolded at Sky Stadium.
“I think that’s another record,” he said, beaming from ear to ear.
“We prepped so well this week. We had so much fire inside of us from last week. And I think we put it out to the training field, put it into our strategy groups, and that’s the result.
“Literally, I’m getting shivers thinking about it.”
The Boks began the game in Wellington with a few chances slipping by, but they stayed patient and ultimately scored six tries, even after several starters were forced off.
“We didn’t get the rub of the green with the first two tries we should have scored, and to go on and still score another five – it’s remarkable,” Feinberg-Mngomezulu added.
“I mean, it’s just speaks a lot to the group, our fight, our belief in the coaches, and also just the belief in each other to go to go do it for South Africa.
“It shows the squad depth that the big boss and his team are building… here’s your result.”
