Springbok players ratings - versus the All Blacks
The Springboks pulled off a shock 36-34 victory over the world champion All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
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
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
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
Comments on RugbyPass
I guess we may all agree on the fact, that the ABs and Boks are the two in contest for No 1 in rugby history (the triple-A sort of) …. the Wallabies, England and France are the next tier, with Ireland being the new kid in town (AA) …. in my view it makes little sense creating imaginary competitions (unless you have too much time to waste)
43 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Total joke and the pundits commentating, all of whom know a bit about the game, could barely disguise their contempt. Reaching for the card then pulling back when he realised a red card would carry further match suspensions is simply not his decision to make. A clear and obvious influence on the outcome of this match and indeed, the championship path.
2 Go to commentsI like the idea, in NZ the Ranfurly Shield and NPC coexist, both having their own bragging rights. The World Cup would be the pinnacle, but the competition and travels of these trophies would be interesting.
43 Go to commentsDon’t worry Sonny bill Williams leave that awkward situation about the curfew in the pass whoever it was it doesn’t matter its no big deal we back our All Blacks through the storm and the thunder until we see the Sun light again.
42 Go to commentsWho listens to this retard? He was a massive liability as a player but obviously a media sensation
42 Go to commentsI’m not surprised by such ‘virtue signalling’ by Sonny Boy. Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He’s such a pious Islamic muppet, imo.
42 Go to commentsI’ve actually never heard of the guy (then I don’t watch League as it is boring). But if he is good enough.. then good luck to him. If not, well, he can always return to league.
2 Go to commentsIt is pretty clear that by almost any measure that NZ are a more successful rugby nation than South Africa. Quite aside from the distasteful events during the last RWC final. NZ lead SA in all significant measurements.
43 Go to commentsDickson went to his pocket for a card, saw who it was, changed his mind and spoke at length to TMO. One angle clearly shows Care diving over a Saints player to kill the ball. 1st yellow, reason given for not Red was player was falling backwards. He was only falling backwards after contact with Lawes. Graham try should have stood. Mitchell did not have both hands on the ball, ball went forward from a Saints boot dragging over it. 2 intentional knock-on's. One of which had an overlap on the outside. If Quins are happy to win by intentional foul play, then it does not say much for them. Would appear to be a bad day for Karl Dickson, also for the RFU in appointing a Ref who spent 8 years as a player at one of the clubs.
2 Go to commentsLet’s not forget about Ardie Savea just yet.
6 Go to commentsThe URC and the Euro Championscup can’t run at the same time, basically dilutes both competitions.
1 Go to comments“While Sotutu should start at No.8 for the All Blacks against England, but it’s only in that arena that he can prove just how good he really is.” And that my friends is where simply hasnt shone despite multiple opportunities. Even in this performance you can see what did him in in the test arena..he almost always still runs at the opposition almost ramrod upright making him easier to stop than it should be.
6 Go to commentsShould have been 0-0 and a message from SR CEO to both teams - “don’t worry about turning up next year”.
4 Go to commentsGreat work Owen Franks. A great of this team, scoring his first try for the Crusaders since 2010.He was beaming, justifiably. A fine win, he and the rest did the job up front.
1 Go to commentsDanny Care. Lang in die tand.
1 Go to commentsBig empty stadium does nothing for atmosphere but munster are playing well with solid performance
1 Go to commentsYes, Fiji can win the World Cup! With that belief plus their christian faith🙏 and hard work it is achievable. Great article. Ian Duncan Fiji resident 1981-84
2 Go to commentsInteresting comments about Touch. England’s hosting the Touch World Cup this year and the numbers have exploded since their last World Cup in 2019, something like 70% more teams and 40 nations taking part. And England Touch have made a big thing about how many universities are in their BUCS University Touch Championship as well as Sport England membership. Can only see this growing even more domestically as more people become aware of it
10 Go to comments“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
4 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
4 Go to comments