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Springboks player ratings vs Ireland | Quilter Nations Series 2025
By Josh Raisey
Springboks player ratings: Rassie Erasmus registered his first win over Ireland in Dublin as South Africa boss with a dominant 24-13 win at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday in the Quilter Nations Series.
It was a wild match, which saw Ireland down to 12 players at one stage in the first half, in a 40-minute period where they were carded four times (with a further yellow card in the second half).
But the world champions were at their brutal best up front, with the scrum looking leagues above Ireland’s, although they didn’t score the points they deserved.
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Onto Wales next week, where Erasmus will likely make many changes. So if this was the last outing of the year for many of the Boks, it was a good one to bow out in.
Here’s how the players rated:
15 Damian Willemse – 7
An acrobatic try in the corner to open the scoring in the opening minutes and frequently challenged Ireland in the 15-metre channel. Not immaculate under the high ball, but wasn’t put under enough pressure.
14 Canan Moodie – 7
Set the tone with a strong defensive read to meet the Irish attack well behind the gainline. Dependable under the ball in attack and defence, but did not see a huge amount of the ball as it was the Bok forwards that took control of the match.
13 Jesse Kriel – 7.5
Hard and direct in his carrying but didn’t bring much else in attack. Was a handful for the Irish defence nonetheless.
12 Damian de Allende – 7
Had some nice touches in there without necessarily setting the game alight.
11 Cheslin Kolbe – 7
Burst through the line untouched for Willemse’s opener, but the match was much more of a forwards’ arm wrestle than a game for the wingers to flourish.
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 8.5
Always trying things, and though it didn’t always pay off, he did enough to plague the Irish defence, and when he scored a try as he did after the break, it doesn’t really matter if he makes the wrong decision from time to time. His enthusiasm in defence saw him slip off a tackle on Bundee Aki as Ireland scored their first try too. Perhaps slightly lucky he wasn’t carded for a no-arms tackle on Ireland’s Tommy O’Brien.
9 Cobus Reinach – 8
Produced the defining score again, extending the Springboks’ lead in the first half with another snipe around the breakdown. Not as spectacular as his finish against France, but high-quality nevertheless. Elsewhere, did his job to keep the Bok pack rolling forward.
1 Boan Venter – 8.5
Deprived of a try due to a forward pass in the build-up, but that would have been richly deserved in a fine display. Clearly on top in the scrum, though penalties didn’t always materialise early on. By the end of the first half, he had the Irish scrum on toast. Wilted in a tackle attempt on Josh van der Flier as Ireland scored their first try in what was a negative moment. Part of a planned substitution before half time.
2 Malcolm Marx – 8
Ireland ran hard around the fringes at the Boks, but Marx led the charge as the visitors stood up to the challenge and simply manhandled carriers at times. Lineout wobbled slightly in the second half, but he was otherwise strong in that department.
3 Thomas du Toit – 9
A huge turnover just feet from his line when Ireland were trying to crash their way over. Started strongly in the scrum, and only went up a level as the match developed to the point where almost every scrum resulted in a penalty. Destructive. Substituted just before half time in a planned move.
4 Eben Etzebeth – 7
Was at his best in the opening quarter when Ireland came out all guns blazing, but didn’t see much of the ball as the Boks took control.
5 Ruan Nortje – 7.5
Tireless as ever and was so often in and around the action. His engine allows Erasmus to take risks with his substitutions as he knows he has a premier 80-minute man. Was South Africa’s commanding presence in the lineout too.
6 Siya Kolisi – 7
Made some punchy carries with plenty of metres after contact and chipped in defensively during his hour on the field.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit – 8
Classy catch and pass at pace to put Willemse in for the try – nothing too flashy but a nice touch from the Malmesbury Missile, who spent much of the match leathering Irish ball carriers. In attack, he persistently posed a threat in the wider channels.
8 Jasper Wiese – 8.5
Penalty won in his own 22 over the ball when Ireland had started with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, then it was his strong carry that gave the momentum for the Boks to score their opener. Leading the match for tackles (9) and carries (11) when he left the field after 52 minutes.
Replacements
16 Johan Grobbelaar – 6
A steady cameo from the bench as a blood replacement for Marx.
17 Gerhard Steenekamp – 8.5
Penalty-try scoring scrummaging effort in his first scrum after coming on shortly before half time, and continued with that trend in the second 40.
18 Wilco Louw – 8.5
The dominant force in South Africa’s penalty-try-winning scrummaging effort before half time and continued to ravage the Irish pack.
19 RG Snyman – 7
Playing at his home ground against many of his Leinster team-mates, Snyman played with a lot of freedom in his 50th cap, with a couple of audacious offloads in there.
20 Kwagga Smith – 7.5
Often looked threatening with his carries in the final 30 minutes with almost every touch posing problems.
21 Andre Esterhuizen – 7
Played the final 20 minutes in the back-row but didn’t have any standout moments.
22 Grant Williams – 5.5
The match became quite loose in the final 15 minutes, and Williams is ideal for that kind of situation. The Irish were able to keep the scrum-half at bay though. Shown a yellow card late on for not rolling away, which came after a smart defensive read.
23 Manie Libbok – 7
Didn’t have too great a task when he came on for the final 20 minutes – keep things ticking over with his pack comfortably on top. He did that.
