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Experienced winger Makazoule Mapimpi scored a hat-trick as world champions South Africa shrugged off a red card and two yellow cards to beat Portugal 64-21 in a one-match Test match on Saturday.
In Bloemfontein, an experimental Springbok team, which played with 14 or 13 men for all but three minutes, scored 10 goals while the visitors crossed the goal line three times.
Scot Hollie Davidson, the first woman to referee a Springbok Test match, showed centre Andre Esterhuizen a yellow card three minutes into the match, which was changed to a red card after an off-field review.
Winger Kurt-Lee Arendse was sent off by Davidson near the end of the first half and substitute defender Quan Horn in the 75th minute.
In the first encounter between the two countries, Portugal scored first but trailed 7-29 at halftime. Three of South Africa’s five points in the second half were scored by Mapimpi.
Prop Jan-Hendrik Wessels and flanker Phepsi Buthelezi, as well as two reserve wingers Horn and hooker Andre-Hugo Venter, all scored on their Springbok debuts.
Tries from Arendse, flanker Ben-Jason Dixon and centre Lukhanyo Am gave South Africa its highest-scoring team in Bloemfontein – more than the 58 it scored against England in 2007.
Halfback Manie Libbok scored twice in five first-half attempts, while his replacement, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, added two more in five second-half attempts.
Substitute winger Jose Paiva dos Santos scored twice for Portugal, while wing player Jose Madeira scored once. Halfback Joris Moura scored once, while substitute Domingos Cabral scored twice.
Just three minutes into the first half, Davidson showed Esterhuisson a yellow card for a foul on center Jose Lima.
Injury
A yellow card was turned into a red following a review of the incident, before substitute winger Dos Santos made a long run towards the scoreline with 14 South African players trailing.
After Mora’s goal, to the surprise of most of the packed crowd of 42,626, the home team trailed by seven points.
Within two minutes the Springboks struck back after a run from Wessels but the visitors retained their lead as Libok failed to convert.
With 18 minutes to play, Buthelezi scored after a scrum and after another error from Libok, the Springboks led 10-7.
After losing its vice-captain Lima, Portugal suffered another blow: No. 8 player Vasco Baptista retired due to injury and Andre Cunha came on as a substitute.
Despite being missing a player, South Africa continued to apply pressure, with Arends, Dixon and Am all scoring, and Libok also getting a goal.
Before Am dived in the corner for his fifth try, South Africa’s Arendse was booked for a foul on full-back Simao Bento, temporarily reducing the team to 13 men.
South Africa led 29-7 at halftime and knew Arends would come roaring back five minutes into the second half as the sun set and chilly weather enveloped the city centre stadium.
Portugal, which won its first Rugby World Cup title by defeating Fiji in France last year, however, gradually lost momentum in the second half as South Africa made numerous substitutions.
The Springboks scored five touchdowns and Portugal two, the highlight being a brilliant play from Feinberg-Mgomezulu that set up Mapimpi’s second.
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