Springboks player ratings vs England | 2026 Nations Championship

Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks picked up where they left off in 2025 with a dominant 45 – 21 victory over England at Ellis Park.

Racing out the blocks, the World Champions scored their first try inside two minutes through tighthead Thomas du Toit.

Three minutes later, Cheslin Kolbe added to his extensive list of ankle breaking side stepping tries with a superb effort that took the hosts two scores clear. Not to be outdone, Kurt-Lee Arendse put on some fancy footwork of his own before bumping off Marcus Smith to secure the Boks third try inside twelve minutes.

Fixture

Nations Championship

South Africa

45 - 21

Full-time

England

All Stats and Data

To their credit, England never threw in the towel finishing the first half the stronger of the two sides with Ellis Genge scoring an exceptional individual try in the 35th minute. Five minutes later, George Martin steamrolled Jasper Wiese and Cheslin Kolbe for England’s second try. Adding both conversions, Fin Smith ensured that England ended the first half just three points down.

Regaining the ascendancy, the hosts struck early in the second half through Grant Williams. This score gave the host some breathing space which they built on through Jesse Kriel in the 56th minute to take what proved to be an unassailable lead.

Striking back once again England gave themselves a chance when Alex Coles crossed in the 67th minute.

The comeback was short lived with England receiving two late yellow cards to Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper paving the way for Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon to add some extra gloss to the scoreline.

Here is how the Springbok players rated.

1. Ox Nche – 5
Plucked from the action inside 10 minutes with what appeared to be a relatively minor knock that he attempted to run off before being removed by the medical team. Prior to this, he had already made a barnstorming break through the heart of the English defence beating four English defenders and making thirty meters.

2. Malcolm Marx – 8
Yet another near pristine outing for the reigning World Player Of The Year who outside of a few missed line-out throws was utterly dominant. f. At scrum time, his battle with Jamie George and latterly Luke Cowan-Dickie was fascinating but ultimately he edged them both. Away from the set-piece, Marx was front and centre to his side’s defensive effort with 19 tackles. In attack his lovely soft pass to Jesse Kriel put his side out of reach whilst his own try in the 75th minute sealed the contest.

3. Thomas du Toit – 8
Punished a group of players he knows well from his three seasons in the Gallagher Premiership, the dynamic prop powered over to get the World Champions off to the perfect start. Later in the half, he would be on the receiving end of some punishment from Ellis Genge with the Bristol Bear clattering over for him for England’s first try. Rebounding following a few minutes where he appeared to be clutching his shoulder, du Toit got through 14 tackles before departing in the 49th minute.

4. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 9
Led with aplomb, the Malmesbury Missile was at his seek and destroy best despite playing in the secondrow. Topping the tackle charts once again with 21, the captain chopped down English carriers all evening. This significant output on defence did not limit his impact in attack where du Toit was the second best Springbok forward with 12 carries including 2 line-breaks.

5. Ruan Nortje – 8
Did plenty of the hard yards for his side. The Bulls’ captain was the go-to line-out option snagging 6 to go with his massive defensive output made up of 18 tackles. With ball in hand, the rangy lock carried into heavy traffic on a handful of occasions which was central to keeping his side moving forward.

6. Paul de Villiers – 7.5
The young backrow could not have asked for a better occasion to make his debut. Coming into the matchday-23 as a late call-up for skipper Siya Kolisi, the dynamic turnover merchant did not look remotely out of place at the highest level. Despite being utilised more for his breakdown prowess at club level, de Villiers slotted into the role of carrier from first phase ball. Slipping through tackles, he did well to get over the gain-line consistently mixing his power game and elite footwork at the point of contact.

7. Cameron Hanekom – 7
Lining up in the unfamiliar role on the side of the scrum, the Vodacom Bulls’ number eight hounded the English ball carriers with a muscular defensive showing making 11 tackles. In attack, there were a few moments of spark that fans of the URC have become accustomed to seeing. Of his 8 carries, there was one big line-breaks and 3 defenders beaten.

8. Jasper Wiese – 8.5
Among the most effective gain-line busters in professional rugby, South Africa’s powerhouse number eight was at times unplayable for the English defensive in the opening twenty-five minutes. This momentum would fade throughout the first half, with Wiese being on the receiving end of a powerful carry by George Martin as the lock brought right back into the contest. Getting back on top early in the second half, he had multiple big carries and a couple of turnovers that were central to his side pulling away.

9. Grant Williams – 8
Getting the first crack at one of the more open positions in the Springbok set-up, the Sharks’ speedster had the English defence on its heels from the off. Making chunk yardage around the fringes, Williams probed England all match. This effort was rewarded with a well taken try in the 45th minute that reestablished the hosts’ dominance.

10. Manie Libbok – 8.5
Unburdened by the kicking tee, Libbok had himself a day. Pulling the strings masterfully, the flyhalf mixed up his kick selection to such a degree that the English back three were in disarray in the opening half hour. With ball in hand, his ability to manipulate defenders with his eyes before pulling the trigger gave his ball carriers a split second extra to hit gaps.

11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 7
Matching the standard set by his wing partner, KLA brushed off Marcus Smith with ease to power over in the left corner for the Boks’ third try inside the opening thirteen minutes. Being brandished with a rather unfortunate yellow card in the 28th minute was disappointing but ultimately doesn’t diminish what was an incredibly impressive performance from the winger.

12. Damian de Allende – 8
Fronted up physically playing a key role in the Boks’ defence with 13 tackles to go with a key first half turnover. On the other side of the ball, his superb left to right pass put Kolbe away in the right corner for the Boks’ second try. Capitalising on his reputation as a direct runner, de Allence occupied several England defenders with each carry. Mixing up his efforts with deft passes and short kicks added an interesting wrinkle to the Bok attack. For his efforts, the centre was named player of the match in what was the perfect start to his test season.

13. Jesse Kriel – 7
One of the quiet veterans in the backline, Kriel’s best work was done in tidying up loose ball one of which denied Cadan Murley a try scoring opportunity in the first half. When an opportunity to strike did present itself, Kriel capitalised with an easy run in from a Malcolm Marx pass.

14. Cheslin Kolbe – 9
Kick started the action with a thumping hit on Ben Earl from the kick-off. Two minutes later, Kolbe pounced on a long line-out throw which lay the platform for du Toit’s try thirty seconds later. This fast start was given a flourish with a perfectly taken try on the back of his trademark side-step that left Cadan Murley clutching at air. From the kicking tee, it was a mixed bag early on but as one would expect for a player of his quality, Kolbe only got better.

15. Damian Willemse – 8.5
A class above in the 15 shirt, the DHL Stormers’ star opened his account with a pinpoint long kick and chase which he regathered. This came moments after he was held up just short in the build-up to du Toit’s try. Defensively, Willemse had some clever interventions in particular his holding up of Marcus Smith in the 15th minute and chase back of Cadan Murley in the 34th minute.  Closing his account with a try assist,  2 offloads, a defender beaten and 57 meters made offers a snapshot of his potency.

Substitutes – 7
The customary early entry of the ‘Bomb Squad’ initially didn’t quite yield the impact of previous encounters between these two sides. Yet as the contest wore on, the power of Zachary Porten, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and try scorer Ben-Jason Dixon was uncontainable for England. On balance such was the standard set by the starters, matching this effort was always going to be a challenge but the Bok bench did exactly what Rassie would’ve hoped for.