1
New Zealand player ratings versus South Africa
A last-gasp converted try to replacement half-back Herschel Jantjies earned the Springboks a deserved draw against the All Blacks.
ADVERTISEMENT
It wasn’t an easy day at the office for the All Blacks – especially with a number of players making their first international appearance of the year.
How did the All Blacks rate? Find out below…
1. Joe Moody – 4/10
First match for the All Blacks since October – and it showed. Scrum looked sturdy with him on the field but his hands let him down on more than one occasion. Not especially busy on defence, making just four tackles. Looked to be short of gas near the end of his spell.
2. Codie Taylor – 7
Looked dynamic. Hit every tackle with aggression, which is especially impressive when you’re the All Blacks second top tackler with 12. Didn’t stand out as much as he normally does in the loose, but can’t fault his set piece work.
3. Owen Franks – 5
Strong in the tight stuff but lacking in any other facets of the game. Franks did his core duties well – but that’s about it. Made 7 tackles, which isn’t bad for a prop.
ADVERTISEMENT
4. Brodie Retallick – 5
Put in one monster hit in the build-up to Jack Goodhue’s try. Also excellent in the lineouts. A very quiet game otherwise, making just 2 tackles (which is probably a record low for the big lock). Looks set to miss a significant amount of game time in the near future due to a dislocated shoulder and could be out for the season.
5. Sam Whitelock – 6
Industrious in his core duties. It wasn’t really a game for the tight five, though.
6. Shannon Frizell – 6
ADVERTISEMENT
Tidy enough. Fairly busy on defence. Didn’t cement his spot in the squad, but looks the better option between him and Vaea Fifita right now.
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
7. Matt Todd – 8
One of the All Blacks’ best. Always does his job and tonight was no exception. Made a game-high 18 tackles and dug his head into every breakdown he found.
8. Kieran Read – 6
Looks to be missing the spark of old. Maybe regular game time will fix that, however. He’s a safe player, he’ll always make his tackles, but All Blacks need a dynamo at the back of the scrum.
9. TJ Perenara – 6.5
Excellent over the ball – one of the best defensive halfbacks in the world. Still, the core job of a 9 is passing and Perenara can’t match Aaron Smith in that regard. Intensity and pace of the game picked up considerably with Smith’s injection.
10. Richie Mo’unga – 6
Early jitters with two kicks charged down, but late-game goal-kicking made up for it. Nervous first start against top-level opposition. Probably needs more time in the saddle. Is it too late to get him ready for the World Cup?
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
11. Rieko Ioane – 3
Worst performance in an All Blacks jersey to date. Was well contained by opposite Cheslin Kolbe and on the few times he found space his hands let him down. Needs as many games under his belt before the World Cup to get him back to top form.
12. Sonny Bill Williams – 7
Did what was asked of him. Made 8 tackles, the most of any All Blacks back. Was quiet on attack but threw a few nice passes – including the one that created Barrett’s linebreak which led to New Zealand’s try. Was a bit loose in the carry sometimes but a good performance given how much time he’s had away from the game.
13. Jack Goodhue – 6.5
Very tidy game. Showed good pace for his try and even won a penalty at the breakdown. Looks much more experienced than he actually is.
14. Ben Smith – 7
Covered well on defence and was smart with the ball hand – just not particularly dangerous. Has perhaps lost a little bit of pace – but could chalk that up to injury earlier in the year.
15. Beauden Barrett – 7
Fullback is very much his natural position. Looks excellent with the extra space and slotted into first receiver when necessary to take some heat off Mo’unga. Goal kicking once again let him down, however.
Reserves:
16. Dane Coles – 7
Looked sprightly in his time on the field. Added excellent impetus off the bench. Who knows who the selectors consider being their best hooker right now?
17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 6
Busy around the park but scrum certainly dropped in intensity upon his injection. Still doesn’t quite look comfortable at this level.
18. Angus Ta’avao – 7
Nice impact, looked good in open play. Surely the fittest of the All Blacks’ props? Scrummaging may be a concern, however.
19. Vaea Fifita – 5
Wasn’t able to make much of an impact on the attack and didn’t really get stuck into defending. Covered lock but probably isn’t strong enough in the scrum to fit in there in a tight game.
20. Dalton Papalii – N/A
No time to make an impact. Doesn’t bode well for chances of avoiding the cull.
21. Aaron Smith – 7
Game kicked up a notch when he was introduced. Perhaps a few of the snappier teams may trouble Smith around the fringes, but he’s so very good at unlocking the All Blacks’ attack.
22. Anton Lienert-Brown – 7
Side-stepping always keeps the opposition guessing. Always looking to create. Could ALB be the key to unlocking some of the tighter defences in world rugby?
23. George Bridge – 5.5
Didn’t have a lot of time – or space – to make an impact, but did well with the hand he was dealt. Will be looking for a start against Australia in the coming weeks.
WATCH: The insightful RugbyPass documentary with Nemani Nadolo, the Fijian playing at Montpellier
Comments on RugbyPass
Super 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?
8 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.
9 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.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 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.
22 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
4 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.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments