The Netherlands U18 team proved their victory last week against the SA U18 Girls at Markötter Stadium was no fluke by again outplaying their hosts at the same Stellenbosch venue, winning 26-00 after leading 19-00 at the break.
The Dutch visitors won 29-12 in cold and slippery conditions last week, but showed no slowing down on a very hot Tuesday afternoon, again getting the better of a South African side that just lacked the experience and know-how to punish their opponents when they showed a sign of weakness.
The Dutch played the big moments well, which resulted in a 2-0 series victory. The reality is that the Netherlands side were better at the basics of the game over the two matches, and added to their ability to score when in their opponents’ red zone proved the big difference.
The South Africans were not disgraced, though. They showed glimpses of good play, with some players clearly talented enough for future national squads, but as a whole, the Dutch were the best side, with the points differential telling.
There was some hope that the hot conditions would help the home side, and the first half started well enough for them. A couple of big hits and two breakdown penalties showed their early intent, and although it did not yield points, it gave them good confidence. A first lineout maul worked well, gaining good ground and right wing Nondumiso Molusi was just caught as she was making her way to the tryline.
A second lineout close to the Dutch line went astray, though, followed by a couple of breakdown penalties, and suddenly it seemed like the SA Girls had lost the plot.
They remained physical on defence, though, and that caused some butter fingers in the Dutch backline. A brilliant offload by centre Jessie Schoeman almost created the first try as left wing Anita Fazi was stopped just short of the line. Schoeman's delayed pass put fullback Shanice Scholtz into a gap, and she fed Fazi, but credit to the Dutch cover defence to save a certain try.
The SA U18S tried route one as well, but after a good couple of pick and drives lost the ball close to the line, and the Dutch could escape.
The visitors clearly had the edge on the counterattack, where their better passing skills salvaged a couple of nervous moments, and they managed to work their way back up the field.
Such was the dominance of the hosts that the Dutch only made a second entry into the half 20 minutes in, but once that happened, it became a one-sided affair until the break.
They made it count as some solid continuity had the SA side in trouble. The hosts struggled to contain the side-to-side attacks, and left wing Daphne Verdaasdonk was worked over in the corner for the first try.
That seemed to ignite the spark for the visitors, as soon after, they scored another well-worked try. Fyhalf Vera Roters broke well and ran close to 60m to put her side in an attacking position, and from a resulting penalty and yellow card, the Dutch tapped and attacked. A couple of rucks later, prop Imme Bevers scored. Roters converted for a 12-0 lead 27 minutes in.
A good defensive spell by the SA Girls seemed to reap rewards, but just before the break, a great angled run by right wing Juliette Brouwer sliced open the SA defence. The conversion made it 19-0 at the break.
The home team had a strong start to the second half as well. They kept the ball in hand and worked hard to make some ground, but again, they failed to sustain their momentum for long enough to put the Dutch under pressure. Some wayward kicking by the SA halfbacks also did not ease their pain or relieve the pressure from the team in white.
Some desperate defence by South Africa prevented a big blow-out, but the wall had to break as the visitors launched attack after attack on the SA line.
A try by replacement left wing Roos Willemsen in the corner following sustained pressure – and another yellow card conceded – seemed a fair outcome. The try was brilliantly converted for a 26-0 win, one that will rightly be celebrated by the Europeans.
The life of former Springbok Women captain Lusanda Dumke, who passed away early on Tuesday, was honoured by a moment of silence before the national anthem, a fitting gesture at a field where she often trained as part of the national women's squads.
Scorers:
Netherlands U18 26 (19) – Tries: Daphne Verdaasdonk, Imme Bevers, Juliette Brouwer, Roos Willemsen. Conversions: Vera Roters (2), Mijntje Smits.