O’Mahony And Healy Hang Up Boots As Barbarians Debutants In Cape Town

Bowing out in the iconic Barbarians colours, Peter O’Mahony and Cian Healy made the final appearances of their professional rugby careers as the Baa Baas played the Springboks on South African soil for the first time ever.

2025 QATAR AIRWAYS CUP MATCH:

Saturday, June 28 –

SOUTH AFRICA 54 BARBARIANS 7, DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Scorers: South Africa: Tries: Malcolm Marx, Cheslin Kolbe, Vincent Tshituka 2, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Kurt Lee-Arendse, Lood de Jager, Damian de Allende; Cons: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2, Manie Libbok 5
Barbarians: Try: Melvyn Jaminet; Con: Melvyn Jaminet
HT: South Africa 19 Barbarbians 0

It turned out to be a disappointingly one-sided match in the Cape Town rain, with South Africa making a strong start to their international season, but Ireland greats O’Mahony and Healy will still look back fondly on their week with the Barbarians.

Tries from Malcolm Marx, Cheslin Kolbe, and Vincent Tshituka saw the World champions take a 19-0 half-time lead. Full-back Melvyn Jaminet motored over in the 64th minute for the Barbarians’ only response.

Before the French international’s fine effort, Jan-Hendrik Wessels scored and then Kurt-Lee Arendse and Lood de Jager both crossed to capitalise on Lachlan Boshier’s sin-binning. Tshituka and Damian de Allende made it eight tries to one in the end.

Having the honour of captaining the world famous invitiational team, O’Mahony put in a typically industrious hour-long shift while his long-time international team-mate, Healy, played 47 minutes and had plenty of scrum action to get his teeth into.

Two of Irish Rugby’s most distinguished players, the pair, who announced their decisions to retire back in February, hang up their boots with 251 Ireland caps between them – Healy holds the individual record with 137 – and as five-time Six Nations and two-time Grand Slam winners.

Speaking afterwards, Barbarians head coach Robbie Deans said: “It’s a privilege to be in the same changing shed as blokes like that. Cian’s had 137 caps, Peter O’Mahony is just revered around the world, a very respected rugby player.

“Then Sam Cane also, Camille Chat another one, this will probably be the last international you’ll see of him. All class blokes, aside from being good rugby players. Quality people and it’s been great to spend some time in their company.”

There was a touching moment before the game when O’Mahony presented a Barbarians number 14 jersey baring the name ‘Hendricks’ to the family of the late Cornal Hendricks, who were on the pitch as South African flag bearers.

Former South Africa winger Hendricks suffered a heart attack last month and sadly passed away at the age of just 37. He scored five tries in 12 appearances for the Springboks, and lined out for the Barbarians against Wales in November 2019.

A knock-on from the kick-off prevented Healy from threatening an almost immediate try. Proudly wearing his Clontarf club socks, he blocked down Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s attempted clearance which led to a scramble behind the hosts’ posts.

In this non-cap fixture for South Africa, they displayed their power up front to take the lead after five minutes. Aphelele Fassi dangled a clever kick through, leading to a five-metre lineout, and hooker Marx was duly driven over.

Full-back Fassi’s right boot proved instrumental for the Springboks’ second try, as he thred the ball through for Kolbe to beat Jaminet to the touchdown. Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion put 12 points between the teams.

Despite the Barbarians getting more ball in hand, they struggled territorially and conceded again early in the second quarter. A scrum penalty against Healy put the ‘Boks in maul range, and it was Tshituka who burrowed over a few phases later.

The Barbarians backs finally got some space to attack nearing the half hour mark. Leicester Fainga’anuku, Mark Tele’a, and Jaminet raided down the right wing, albeit that the latter’s kick through handed the ‘Boks a lineout on the edge of their own 22.

O’Mahony, who donned the socks of his beloved Cork Constitution for the occasion, muscled in for a maul turnover, a few minutes later, to get the Baa Baas on the move again.

Some strong counter-rucking, and a late scrum penalty, had them inside South Africa’s 22 but a Shannon Frizell knock-on in front of the posts halted their progress in frustrating fashion.

The rain came down heavier for the start of the second half, and O’Mahony led his side’s resistence once more with some expert maul defence just a few metres out.

There was no stopping replacement prop Wessels soon after, Fassi and Arendse combining neatly on a switch play before the forwards made the possession count in the form of seven more points.

New Zealander Boshier saw yellow for a high tackle on Arendse as the Barbarians came under further pressure in defence. Deans’ charges dug themselves out of a hole, only for Arendse to make it 33-0 from de Allende’s well-weighted kick in the 57th minute.

Try number six owed much to Kolbe’s fielding of a high ball and his acceleration to create a surging break. David Ribbans got back to make a crunching try-saving tackle on Cobus Reinach, but de Jager powered over from a couple of metres out.

After an appreciative round of applause to mark O’Mahony’s departure from the field, Fainga’anuku was prominent in attack. It was his pass that put Jaminet over from the edge of South Africa’s 22, his determined finish preceding a classy conversion from the same player.

Kolbe’s lightning-quick footwork and strength in the carry ignited the hosts’ attack in response, and flanker Tshituka picked from a ruck to complete his brace. Replacement Manie Libbok tagged on the easiest of his five well-struck conversions.

Jaminet landed an important tackle on Libbok to spoil another Kolbe-inspired break, and a turnover penalty won by Boshier showed the continuing endeavour of the Baa Baas. However, de Allende had the final say, sliding over in the left corner from a Fassi pass.

TIME LINE: 5 minutes – South Africa try: Malcolm Marx – 5-0; conversion: missed by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 5-0; 9 mins – South Africa try: Cheslin Kolbe – 10-0; conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 12-0; 22 mins – South Africa try: Vincent Tshituka – 17-0; conversion: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 19-0; Half-time – South Africa 19 Barbarians 0; 45 mins – South Africa try: Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 24-0; conversion: Manie Libbok – 26-0; 53 mins – Barbarians yellow card: Lachlan Boshier; 57 mins – South Africa try: Kurt-Lee Arendse – 31-0; conversion: Manie Libbok – 33-0; 59 mins – South Africa try: Lood de Jager – 38-0; conversion: Manie Libbok – 40-0; 64 mins – Barbarians try: Melvyn Jaminet – 40-5; conversion: Melvyn Jaminet – 40-7; 69 mins – South Africa try: Vincent Tshituka – 45-7; conversion: Manie Libbok – 47-7; 80+2 mins – South Africa try: Damian de Allende – 52-7; conversion: Manie Libbok – 54-7; Full-time – South Africa 54 Barbarians 7

SOUTH AFRICA: Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks); Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) (capt), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls); Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions); Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Emirates Lions), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks).

Replacements used: Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) for du Preez (38 mins-half-time), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) for Kleyn, Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) for van Staden, Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Smith for du Preez, Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) for van der Berg, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) for Nche, Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers) for Ntlabakanye, Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets) for Marx (all 44).

BARBARIANS: Melvyn Jaminet; Mark Tele’a, Leicester Fainga’anuku, Peter Umaga-Jensen, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens; Josh Jacomb, Tawera Kerr-Barlow; Cian Healy, Camille Chat, Paul Alo-Emile, Ruben van Heerden, David Ribbans, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Sam Cane, Shannon Frizell.

Replacements used: Santiago Arata for Kerr-Barlow, Lachlan Boshier for Cane, Ricky Ricatelli for Chat, Hassane Kolingar for Healy, Will Collier for Alo-Emile (all 47 mins), Hoskins Sotutu for Frizell (52), Josh Beehre for O’Mahony (61), Joe Marchant for Tele’a (63).

Referee: AJ Jacobs (SARU)