South Africa overcame a resilient Scotland side 42-28 on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld, improving to 2-0 in the 2026 Nations Championship.
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The Springboks raced out to a 14-0 lead before Scotland showed their mettle, battling back to level the match at halftime, but four second-half tries proved enough to secure the victory.
Scotland mounted one final comeback to pull within seven points late in the second half, but Jesse Kriel's late try sealed another win for the world's top-ranked team.
In total, 10 tries were scored between the two teams in what will be a disappointment for the Scots, who went toe-to-toe with the best team in the world.
Recap the game below as it happened.
End Of Game: Springboks Win
FINAL: South Africa 42, Scotland 28
After a valiant effort from Scotland in the second half, the Boks hold on for the home-field win at Loftus Versfeld.
Four second-half scores were enough to put the game away after Scotland inched closer on the back of tries from Josh Bayliss and Ben White.
Jesse Kriel Scores - 77'
South Africa 42, Scotland 28
South Africa have all but put the game away at this point. They dig deep and Jesse Kriel crosses the line after breaking from the Scotland defense.
Quan Horn converts.
Scotland Pull Within One Score - 69'
South Africa 35, Scotland 28
The Springboks defense has wilted in the last few minutes and Scotland have taken advantage as we head towards full time.
Ben White scores this time. Russell makes the conversion.
Scotland Responds - 67'
South Africa 35, Scotland 21
Just a minute later and Scotland score their third try of the match, this one coming from Josh Bayliss.
Russell converts.
Springboks Add Another - 66'
South Africa 35, Scotland 14
Zachary Porthen scores as South Africa extends its lead to 35-14. That's three tries since halftime.
Springboks Score Again - 60'
South Africa 28, Scotland 14
Once again, the Springboks take a two score lead over Scotland and Damian Willemse scores.
Twenty minutes left in this match.
It's very tight here at Loftus, but Elrigh Louw and Damian Willemse have scored in quick succession and the Boks are back in the lead, 28-14, with just under 20 minutes to go.
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 11, 2026
Match centre: https://t.co/h4hvA9pH83 📲#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/G1rthWs4ed
South Africa Score - 57'
South Africa 21, Scotland 14
Springboks on the front foot after conceding a lot of territory to Scotland early in this half. The Springboks went through 12 phases before the try.
Elrigh Louw takes it over the line, and the Bokke retake the lead.
Scotland Pushing - 51'
South Africa 14, Scotland 14
Scotland have had a half dozen chances to score in the last five minutes. They have yet to strike, but they're pushing perilously close, from a South African perspective, to taking the lead in this match.
Yellow card has expired. Still tied up at 14 points apiece.
Ben-Jason Dixon Shown Yellow 🟨 - 41'
South Africa 14, Scotland 14
Ben-Jason Dixon is sent to the sin bin for head contact. Scotland will play with a one-man advantage for the next 10 minutes.
Second Half Begins - 40'
South Africa 14, Scotland 14
We're underway at Loftus Versfeld as Scotland kick off to South Africa.
Halftime Stats
- Possession: South Africa 53%, Scotland 47%
- Territory: South Africa 59%, Scotland 41%
- Line breaks: South Africa 2, Scotland 0
- Tackles made: Scotland 45, South Africa 34
- Tackle success: South Africa 89%, Scotland 82%
- Penalties conceded: South Africa 2, Scotland 4
Halftime In Pretoria
South Africa 14, Scotland 14
Scotland and the Springboks are tied at halftime at Loftus Versfeld.
The Bokke heard some boos from the crowd as time expired in the first half. It'll be interesting to see if Rassie Erasmus makes any changes ahead of the second half.
Scotland Try - 39'
South Africa 14, Scotland 14
Scotland tie it up right before halftime. Tuipulotu offloads to Kyle Rowe, who takes it over the line untouched. After getting knocked down early, the Scots have come back in full force.
40' | What a try! Great hands from Finn and Sione, who releases Kyle Rowe for the score.
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) July 11, 2026
Finn converts.
🇿🇦 14-14 🏴#AsOne | #NationsChampionship pic.twitter.com/Gl3ME62AQZ
Scotland Score - 33'
South Africa 14, Scotland 7
Matt Fagerson finishes with a pick-and-go, pushing through the Bokke line for the opening try after the TMO confirms the grounding.
Finn Russell converts.
Springboks Score Again - 19'
South Africa 14, Scotland 0
Only about two minutes between the two scores. Evan Roos takes it across the line.
South Africa Score - 16'
South Africa 7, Scotland 0
After Finn Russell whiffs a dropout that fails to pass midfield, Embrose Papier scores for South Africa, and the Bokke are on the board.
Welcome back to the #Springboks, Embrose Papier - his first try in green and gold - SA lead 7-0 after 18 minutes 📄
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 11, 2026
Match centre: https://t.co/h4hvA9pH83 📲#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/3EqBsnh92L
Scotland Hold Up SA At Line - 15'
South Africa 0, Scotland 0
After the Springboks chose two scrums within the 22m line of Scotland's area, they were unable to put it across the tryline.
Scotland hold them up. Massive early stop.
Eight Minutes In - 8'
South Africa 0, Scotland 0
Teams pushing back and forth, Scotland certainly holding their ground.
No side has broken off a run quite yet.
Match Begins - 0'
South Africa 0, Scotland 0
Springboks kick off to Scotland we're underway at Loftus Versfeld.
Scotland are wearing their purple away kit. South Africa are in their traditional green and gold home kit.
Goosebumps! 🏉💪
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) July 11, 2026
South Africa's anthem rings around the stadium ahead of a huge Nations Championship clash with Scotland.
📺 Live now on Virgin Media PLAY and Virgin Media One#VMSport #NationsChampionship #RSAvSCO pic.twitter.com/x7pnpDUq1W
Prospect Watch: Paul de Villiers
- Paul de Villiers continues his rapid rise after earning a second consecutive Test start for the Springboks.
- The Stormers flanker was ranked No. 12 in FloRugby's Top 50 Rugby Union Prospects for 2026 after emerging as one of the United Rugby Championship's most effective young back-row forwards.
South Africa Vs. Scotland By The Numbers
- World Ranking: South Africa No. 1, Scotland No. 5
- All-time series: South Africa leads 25-5
- South Africa has won the last nine meetings.
- Scotland's last win came in 2010.
Into the zone 😤#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/MEaFNFO0a8
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 11, 2026
Bokke Vs. Scotland: Last Five Meetings
The Springboks have won nine consecutive meetings dating back to 2012. Scotland's last victory came on Nov. 20, 2010, when it defeated South Africa 21-17 at Murrayfield.
- Nov. 10, 2024 - South Africa 32, Scotland 15
- Sept. 10, 2023 - Rugby World Cup: South Africa 18, Scotland 3
- Nov. 13, 2021 - South Africa 30, Scotland 15
- Nov. 17, 2018 - South Africa 26, Scotland 20
- Oct. 3, 2015 - Rugby World Cup: South Africa 34, Scotland 16
Springboks Vs. Scotland Kickoff Time
South Africa host Scotland at 11:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 11, at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in Round 2 of the Nations Championship.
How South Africa Vs. Scotland At 2026 Nations Championship
Every match of the 2026 Nations Championship streams live in the United States for free on RugbyPass TV and the World Rugby YouTube channel.
South Africa Rugby Lineup
- Boan Venter
- Johan Grobbelaar
- Wilco Louw
- Cobus Wiese
- Ruan Nortje
- Paul de Villiers
- Pieter-Steph du Toit
- Evan Roos
- Embrose Papier
- Handre Pollard
- Canan Moodie
- Damian de Allende
- Jesse Kriel
- Edwill van der Merwe
- Aphelele Fassi
Substitutes: 16. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18. Zachary Porthen, 19. Ben-Jason Dixon, 20. Vincent Tshituka, 21. Elrigh Louw, 22. Grant Williams, 23. Quan Horn
Scotland Rugby Lineup
- Pierre Schoeman
- Ewan Ashman
- Zander Fagerson
- Gregor Brown
- Scott Cummings
- Matt Fagerson
- Rory Darge
- Jack Dempsey
- Ben White
- Finn Russell
- Jamie Dobie
- Sione Tuipulotu
- Rory Hutchinson
- Kyle Steyn
- Kyle Rowe
Substitutes: 16. Gregor Hiddleston, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. Will Hurd, 19. Alex Samuel, 20. Josh Bayliss, 21. Magnus Bradbury, 22. Tom Jordan, 23. Stafford McDowall
Watch Springboks Vs. Scotland
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