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How the Springboks players rated in Wellington
The Springboks will be kicking themselves that they did not make their first-half dominance count against the All Blacks. Rassie Erasmus’ side dominated possession and territory in the opening 40 minutes and they rattled the All Blacks with some clever play, but they only had six points to show for that.
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However, it was still a fairly strong performance from the Springboks and they will be happy with the fight they showed to rescue a draw. That makes it one win and one draw from their last two outings in New Zealand. Here is how the Springboks players rated:
15. Willie le Roux – 5/10
He looked very rusty and failed to make any real impact on attack. His play with the ball in hand was below average.
14. Cheslin Kolbe – 8
The best player on the field for the Springboks. He threatened the All Blacks’ defence a few times with the ball in hand and he was a man possessed on defence. His chip kick also led to Herschel Jantjies’ crucial try.
13. Lukhanyo Am – 5
Slow and predictable in that midfield. His defensive game needs a lot of work as well.
12. Damian de Allende – 6
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He is selected to get the Boks over the gain line with his big fame and he did that on a few occasions. However, he is another predictable cog in the Bok backline.
11. Makazole Mapimpi – 4
Missed quite a few tackles out wide and his place in the team is certainly at risk.
10. Handré Pollard – 6
It was a mixed bag from the flyhalf. His distribution and decision making was questionable, but his overall performance was good enough. He also showed nerves of steel land that last conversion.
The blow by blow RugbyPass account of events in Wellington between New Zealand and South Africa.
https://t.co/QMdxdIQpS3— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 27, 2019
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9. Faf de Klerk – 7
While the rest of his backline is predictable, he is certainly not. He caused a lot of problems for the All Blacks in the first half and he was missed later in the game.
1. Steven Kitshoff – 6
Solid enough in the scrums and made his presence felt at the breakdowns.
2. Malcolm Marx – 5
Not the Malcolm Marx we know. He went missing in open play and struggled to find his jumpers at the beginning of the game.
3. Frans Malherbe – 3
Another lazy performance by the prop. Someone needs to tell him to do more on the field than just scrum.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 7
A powerful presence with ball in hand. Some of the All Blacks players will have headaches after he ran into them.
5. Franco Mostert – 7
He had a high work rate in open play. He was a prominent figure in the physical stuff.
Boks show ???, Pollard nerves as Jantjies ????? in Wellington as well.
Match report here: https://t.co/DZ14040wlQ pic.twitter.com/RNKO7BD23o— Springboks (@Springboks) July 27, 2019
6. Kwagga Smith – 6
We know what he is capable of, but he was a bit too quiet in open play. He did have a few good carries and some good breakdown work.
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 7
Did a lot of hard work on defence but the Springboks could have used him more with the ball in hand.
8. Duane Vermeulen (capt) – 6
Not the best performance from the No8. He had a few good carries but was not the colossus we expect him to be.
Replacements:
16. Bongi Mbonambi – NR (for Marx, 70th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.
17. Tendai Mtawarira – 6 (for Kitshoff, 58)
Put in a good amount of work on defence and had a couple of carries.
18. Trevor Nyakane – 6 (for Malherbe, 56)
Did some good work on defence and he put some pressure on his opposite number at scrum time.
No count back on boundaries in Wellington. It's a draw. Thanks for an epic Test @Springboks.#NZLvRSA #BACKBLACK ???? pic.twitter.com/iJKkskeELf
— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) July 27, 2019
19. Rudolph Snyman – 4 (for Etzebeth, 50)
Failed to make a real impact when he came on and gave away a stupid penalty late in the game.
20. Francois Louw – NR (for Smith, 67)
Not enough time to be rated.
21. Herschel Jantjies – 7 (for Francois de Klerk, 44)
He probably wasn’t expecting to come on so early, but he handled the pressure well and scored the crucial try at the end.
22. Frans Steyn – 3 (for de Allende, 56)
He offered nothing on the attack and just made up the numbers in the last 20 minutes.
23. Jesse Kriel – 2 (for Lukhanyo Am, 50)
Missed too many tackles which put his team under pressure.
– @rugby365com
WATCH: The insightful RugbyPass documentary with Nemani Nadolo, the Fijian playing at Montpellier
Comments on RugbyPass
Yet, according to Jake White and other twonks who think better, Jenkins shouldn’t be picked by the boks. Daft.
5 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
21 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
5 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
5 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to comments