Wales lock goes to disturbing lengths to stop Springbok maul
It is a tactic that is as old as rugby itself- if your maul is struggling, start furiously spanking the opposition. Unfortunately for Wales lock Ben Carter, it was a tactic that did not pay off.
Many teams have tried to stop a South African maul and many teams have failed, as it remains one of the most unstoppable forces in the game. For future reference, teams can bypass the tactic of furiously slapping RG Snyman’s backside in the hope of achieving any success.
The 122kg Wales lock Carter thought this might help his team’s chances at the Principality Stadium on Saturday. On this occasion it was actually a defensive maul from the Boks, but it still had the same outcome with the visitors coming out on top and earning a scrum.
While it was a Welsh player physically spanking a Springbok, it was the Springboks who metaphorically spanked Wales as they came away 52-16 winners.
Take a look at the maul:
While this happening…
Ben Carter gave RG a spanking 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/vTydE0q5pb
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) August 21, 2023
The challenges get harder for Jacques Nienaber’s men this weekend though, as they face the All Blacks at Twickenham on Friday. We all wait to see whether the All Blacks adopt the same approach at the maul.
Springboks XV
15 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 32 caps, 41 pts (3t, 4c, 4p, 2d)
14 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 9 caps, 50 pts (10t)
13 – Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls) – 7 caps, 20 pts (4t)
12 – Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins) – 13 caps, 0 pts
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 38 caps, 115 pts (23t)
10 – Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) – 8 caps, 55 pts (1t, 16c, 6p)
9 – Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 48 caps, 44 pts (5t, 2c, 5p)
8 – Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby) – 69 caps, 15 pts (3t)
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 70 caps, 35 pts (7t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 76 caps, 40 pts (8t)
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 65 caps, 5 pts (1t)
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 112 caps, 25 pts (5t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 62 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 62 caps, 80 pts (16t)
1 – Steven Kitshoff (Ulster) – 75 caps, 10 pts (2t)
Replacements
16 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 61 caps, 60 pts (12t)
17 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 20 caps, 0 pts
18 – Trevor Nyakane (Racing 92) – 61 caps, 0 pts
19 – Jean Kleyn (Munster) – 3 caps, 0 pts (Ireland 5 caps)
20 – RG Snyman (Munster) – 27 caps, 5 pts (1t)
21 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 13 caps, 0 pts
22 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 26 caps, 27 pts (9t)
23 – Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 87 caps, 65 pts (13t)
