South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

South African player ratings: South Africa completed an unbeaten tour of the United Kingdom with a 45 – 12 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Starting hot, the Springboks scored two tries inside the opening ten minutes through their secondrows Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebth.

Dominating their hosts physically from the off, the World Champions rarely looked challenged through the opening half.

In the second half, Wales launched a spirited attack on their visitors, ending the match with a try for James Botham to go with Rio Dyer’s late try in the first half.

Overall, the Boks were simply in a different league physically to their hosts and battered their way to victory.

Here is how the South African players fared in Cardiff.

1. Thomas du Toit – 7
Struggled initially to get to grips with Archie Griffin at scrum time but grew into the contest as time progressed. Once comfortable, du Toit and his front-row buddies walked over to their Welsh counterparts. In open play, the Bath star was his usual brilliant self and, if anything, looked a bit fresher playing in the loosehead role.

2. Johan Grobbelaar – 8
Arguably one of the most important breakthrough players for the Boks in 2024, given the age profile of the two players ahead of him in the pecking order. The Bulls Hooker was tireless as he played a key role in ensuring the Boks lightening quick ruck speed (63% 0-3sec) during his time on the park.

3. Wilco Louw – 8
Simply obliterated Nicky Smith at scrum time, albeit it wasn’t entirely the Welsh loosehead’s fault. When he departed in the 46th minute, Louw had overseen a near-perfect day at set piece time to go with his 2 carries, 6 tackles and 2 defenders beaten. All in all, it was a good day for 144kg Vodacom Bull.

4. Eben Etzebeth – 7
Stuck in the middle of everything positive the Boks achieved, Etzebeth roamed the wider channels as a kick reception option and a support runner. Unfortunately for the Sharks man, he hobbled off 29 minutes into the match, albeit he wreaked havoc during that period.

5. Franco Mostert – 8.5
Haring down the right touchline like rampaging wildebeest for the opening try of the match, Mostert was busy from the off. Being named the player of the match following a 15 carry, 6 line-outs won, and 13 tackle performance was just reward for the often underrated lock.

6. Siya Kolisi – 7.5
Doing the hard yard for his side, Kolisi was in seek-and-destroy mode. On the rare occasion that the Boks had to defend, he was at the front and centre of their rush defence. Even when he didn’t make the tackle, his pace off the line forced Wales to rush the pass and ultimately stunted their momentum.

7. Elrigh Louw – 6.5
Similar to the man he replaced this week in Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Louw’s work rate was phenomenal during his 41 minutes on the park. Carrying the ball 8 times, winning 2 line-outs and scoring a try was a solid return for the rangy backrow.

8. Jasper Wiese – 8
Pinballing through Welsh defenders as his team’s top carrier. Perhaps the most apt way to sum up Wiese’s performance is to compare him to a Toyota Land Cruiser chomping through an overland park in second gear. Concluding his day in the 60th minute, having made 19 carries for 69 meters and 3 defenders beaten.

9. Jaden Hendrikse – 6
Forming a mind meld with his brother, the older Hendrikse was solid overall but, in truth, was handed an armchair ride by a pack that was always on the front foot. This dominance ensured he was rarely hassled, but he did, by and large, take the correct options, which kept his side rolling.

10. Jordan Hendrikse – 7
Clean, professional and with just enough sprinkling of stardust to remind everyone that he could be a game-breaker with more experience. Benefitting from his pack’s dominance, Hendrikse was never tested in terms of needing to clear his lines or put his team in the right positions. Playing what was in front of him, Hendrikse facilitated some great play for those around him and got some nice width on his passing game.

11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 8.5
Fizzing with enthusiasm every time the ball came close to his area, the Bulls winger was untouchable today. Mirroring Kolbe’s quick step for his score against England, Arendse put on some ‘routine’ footwork to leave the Welsh cover defence clutching at ghosts for his first try. Every time he subsequently received the ball, the Welsh defence was on high alert, and for good reason, his ability to occupy defenders before setting a teammate free was exceptional. A primary example of this was Fassi’s try in the 54th minute, where Arendse realistically could’ve gone the whole way himself but opened the lane for his fullback.

12. Damian de Allende – 7
Showing his subtle skills once again today, de Allende had some nice soft touches which facilitated those around him. Mixing in his usual physicality with these soft skills, de Allende had one of his now weekly big bursts through the Welsh defence which brought him within a meter of a try to start the second half.

13. Jesse Kriel – 8
Firmly in the honeymoon period of his late career renaissance, Kriel is playing the best rugby of his career. Hitting perfect lines off his centre partner, Kriel found himself in the open prairie on a handful of occasions. In this scenario, many players would look to force their hand, but the veteran always stayed calm and took the right option. This was never more evident than in the build-up to Mostert’s try, where Kolbe was in a position to make key yards following a sublime break.

14. Cheslin Kolbe – 8
For a player who is renowned for moments of individual brilliance, Kolbe’s ability to set up those around him for success was on full show today. Hitting perfect lines, making yards in contact and then getting the ball away with either an offload or a perfectly placed ball for quick recycling, Kolbe did it all today. Such is his presence that the Welsh defenders honey-potted around him, thus opening acres of space for those around him. Confirming this eye test was the stat that shows Kolbe beat 7 defenders and had 6 offloads.

15. Aphelele Fassi – 8
Beating more defenders than any other player in the first half (4), the Sharks fullback returned every Welsh kick with interest. Scanning the pitch, Fassi continually took the right option, whether it was to find support or hit space. Rounding out his day with 15 carries for 94 meters with 5 defenders beaten and 5 offloads shows just how effective he was.

Substitutes
16. Malcolm Marx – 7.5
Professional Rugby’s ultimate impact hooker. Marx might lack that slight edge in terms of the pace that he enjoyed during his younger years, but his power remains elite. Driving through contact, Marx was rarely stopped on the first contact.

17. Gerhard Steenekamp – 8
Bringing some extra oomph from the bench, Steenekamp took advantage of tiring Welsh defenders for a perfectly taken try in the 62nd minute. At set piece time, he upped the ante by obliterating the Welsh scrum.

18. Vincent Koch – 6.5
Picking up where Louw left off at scrum time, the wily tighthead drove straight through Keiron Assiratti. Around the park, Koch fronted up and made tackles when he needed to but was found to be doing most of his work around the breakdown.

19. Marco van Staden – 6.5
Slotted in as the Boks’ battering ram when he replaced Jasper Wiese in the 60th minute. This role allowed Hanekom to play a roaming game that suited his skill set. This snapshot sums up what van Staden brings to the Boks as a player who does the hard yard to allow those around him to shine.

20. RG Snyman – 8
Entered the contest and immediately pulled off a now routine offload, which set up what looked set to be a try for Siya Kolisi. Unfortunately for the Boks, Jaden Hendrikse had a slight knock-on in the build-up, which chalked off the try.

21. Cameron Hanekom – 7.5
Did exactly what a highly touted debutant should do and slotted in seamlessly. Getting on the ball for a few nice carries, Hanekom’s footwork before contact ensured he was always in a position to either set up a quick ruck clear-out or find an offload. At line-out time, his jumping speed was notable as he became a good option at the back.

22. Cobus Reinach – 7
Added some needed zip into the Bok attack in the 60th minute and immediately got his pack going forward. This tempo made the Welsh defence untenable, with Steenekamp being the beneficiary with an old-school Springbok try. Adding another try assist to his stat line with a Sonny-Bill Williams-style offload, Reinach proved that even at 34-years-old he is still an electric operator.

23. Handre Pollard – 7
Slotting in at inside centre for the final half an hour, Pollard looked super comfortable as a second distributor in what could be his perfect role going forward. Taking the pressure off Hendrikse whilst showing the Welsh a different picture from midfield scrums, Pollard took on the defensive line and really opened up the width of the Bok attack.