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Ben-Jason Dixon faces up to first half substitution versus All Blacks

Ben-Jason Dixon of South Africa gestures during the Summer Rugby International match between South Africa and Wales at Twickenham Stadium on June 22, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images)

South Africa flanker Ben-Jason Dixon has admitted he did not have his “best game” after being substituted before halftime against the All Blacks in round three of the Rugby Championship.

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The Stormers star only lasted 37 minutes of the Springboks’ 31-27 victory over the All Blacks at Emirates Airline Park before Rassie Erasmus opted to replace him with Eben Etzebeth (Etzebeth had come on ten minutes earlier to replace Ruan Nortje, but Nortje’s return to play was at the expense of Dixon, with Pieter-Steph du Toit dropping to the back row).

The substitution came after a first half where the 26-year-old made some costly errors. His accidental offside in the opening ten minutes gifted the All Blacks possession in South Africa’s 22, which they eventually scored from three minutes later. The All Blacks pounced on his wayward offload later in the half to score their second try, and his match did not last much longer after that.

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Being substituted before halftime is usually one of the most chastening experiences for a sportsperson, but it is actually a well-trodden path for the Springboks, who have regularly adopted this ploy with their ‘Bomb Squad’ and have chosen to do so with other players on the biggest of stages.

To comfort the flanker further, he was replaced by one of the greatest South African players of all time in Etzebeth who was always going to play a significant portion of the match after being named among the replacements.

Match Summary

4
Penalty Goals
1
3
Tries
4
2
Conversions
2
0
Drop Goals
0
106
Carries
100
3
Line Breaks
7
12
Turnovers Lost
15
7
Turnovers Won
3

Dixon took to Instagram on Tuesday to address the experience, saying it is “part of the journey” while showing an appreciation for the support he has received.

“Honoured to have been part of another hard-fought victory with the @bokrugby this weekend!” he wrote.

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“While the team came out on top, I know I didn’t have my best game out there—but that’s part of the journey.

“Every match is a chance to learn, grow, and come back stronger. Grateful for my teammates, coaches, and all the fans for the unwavering support. Excited to keep pushing forward and giving my all for this incredible team!”

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N
NB 51 minutes ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

https://www.london.edu/think/how-claudio-ranieri-transformed-leicester-city


He jts knew how to use that deep well of knowledge accumulate over many years of management. A true Moneyball story!

167 Go to comments
f
fl 58 minutes ago
Why Les Kiss and Stuart Lancaster can lead Australia to glory

“Two comparable achievements 15 years apart (at different clubs in different leagues) represent failure and not continued success for an elite level coach/manager? Not even a hint of consistency? Just gradual, inevitable decline? And all because he is in his sixth decade?”

Why don’t you try reading what I wrote before you start inventing a load of other random things that I didn’t say. I said “Pep hasn’t gotten better with age”. He hasn’t. I don’t think he’s got much worse, and yeah, he’s been fairly consistent over his career and has had more success than almost any other coach. But he hasn’t gotten better.


“You’ve missed that Mourinho’s early start in football was as a translator for Bobby Robson (ironically a much older manager at the time!).”

I was actually aware of that. I didn’t mention it because it wasn’t relevant to the fact that Mourinho - aged 52 - had more experience than Arteta does at 43. It also isn’t ironic that Bobby Robson was a much older manager at the time - it actually confirms by point that a lot of the top football managers used to be older than they are today.


“You suggested that Les Kiss would not be suited to an international coaching role because of his age profile…that seemed to relate to rugby”

That did relate to rugby. Let me walk you through the thread…


NB suggested that Les Kiss should become Australia head coach in 2027.

I said: “Given the drop off so many top coaches seem to experience as they get older (e.g. Jones, Gatland) Kiss could be a riskier appointment than you’d think!”

NB said: “Drawing a parallel with the NFL and NBA, plenty of coaches stay well into their 70’s”

I said: “Not all sports are going the same way though” then gave the example of football.


The example of football was introduced in order to make the point that the age profile of managers is not the same in every sport. If you had read the thread you were replying to you would know this!

167 Go to comments
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