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Springbok players ratings - versus the All Blacks

By Online Editors
Pieter Steph du Toit. (Getty Images)

The Springboks pulled off a shock 36-34 victory over the world champion All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.

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No one expected the scoreline, especially with Springboks fresh from back-to-back defeats to Argentina and Australia.

Leezil Hendricks rates the South African players.

15 Willie le Roux
The fullback’s impact could not be underestimated. He put in a much better performance and as the game progressed his workrate picked up – a constant menace on attack. A few good grubbers, one which resulted in his own try. However, his yellow card late marred the overall solid performance.
8/10

14 Jesse Kriel
Not his usual position but he looked good on the wing and put his opposite number Rieko Ioane under huge pressure. His tackles on Scott Barrett and Codie Taylor deserve a mention. Impressive overall performance.
7/10

13 Lukhanyo Am
The midfielder made some good runs but was exposed on defence and was replaced at half-time.
5/10

12 Damian de Allende
The centre was hot and cold. He made some good tackles but was not very influential and left the field before the 50th minute.
5/10

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11 Aphiwe Dyantyi
Defensively he was exposed and two tries were scored via his channel. However, with the ball in hand, it seems like the wing can’t stop scoring tries. He scored a brace of tries and broke the defensive line on a few occasions.
7/10

10 Handré Pollard
From the Kick-off, he overcooked the ball and handed a scrum to the All Blacks – the worst start for the for the flyhalf. However, he quickly made up for it with successful kicks from the tee.
7/10

9 Faf de Klerk
A much better performance from De Klerk. Put in some crucial tackles however his box-kicks are still a major concern. However, he outperformed one of the world’s best scrumhalves.
7/10

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8 Warren Whiteley
Had a good game, a little bit outshone by Pieter Steph du Toit. However gradually worked himself into the game and made valuable tackles, a very effective defender. His leadership when Kolisi left the field was also vital.
7/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
Was one of the stand-outs on the field. He was constantly looking for work whether it was on defence or even on attack. His tackle count was 28 and truly showed more guts compared to his loose forward partners.
9/10

6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
The captain played well in patches but failed to deliver his usual robust performance.
6/10

5 Franco Mostert
Put in yet another good performance. The lock was involved in everything and was really effective on the field. Was influential in the rolling maul which resulted in Malcolm Marx try and kept the physicality throughout the 80 minutes.
9/10

4 Eben Etzebeth
Put in a valid performance was very physical and his carries were very effective, had some trouble securing the ball when it came to line-outs.
7/10

3 Frans Malherbe
Workrate on defefence was good and produced a strong performance in the scrums. In the first 40-minutes did not do much, however, picked it up in the second stanza
6/10

2 Malcolm Marx
The hooker’s overall performance was impressive. He made 15 meters and scored a try. His work at the breakdown was vital, especially where the loose trio was. But the line-out throwing is still a concern.
9/10

1 Steven Kitshoff
As usual, his scrummaging was good and was tremendous on the defence. He made some valuable carries but conceded some silly penalties.
7/10

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (on for Marx, 68th minutes)
Not enough time to be rated.

17 Tendai Mtawarira (on for Kitshoff, 65th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

18 Wilco Louw (on for Malherbe, 65th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

19 Rudolph Snyman (on for Etzebeth, 50th minute)
Managed to make an impact. Was solid on defence and only conceded one penalty.
6/10

20 Francois Louw (on for Kolisi, 65th minute)
Not enough time to be rated.

21 Ross Cronje
Not used

22 Elton Jantjies (on for De Allende, 47th minute)
Was nervous at first but quickly worked himself in the match and made some good carries. Defence is still a concern.
6/10

23 Cheslin Kolbe (on for Am, 40th minute)
Came on the field at the start of the second half and within a minutes the until back intercept a pass and outpace Beauden Barrett for a try. Also made a crucial try-saving tackle on Rieko Ioane.
7/10

By Leezil Hendricks

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A
Adrian 45 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

6 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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