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Springboks player ratings vs Wales | 2nd Test July 2022

By Warren Fortune
Wales' lock Will Rowlands (L) is tackled by South Africa's lock Eben Etzebeth (R) and South Africa's center Andre Esterhuizen (C) during an international rugby union match between South Africa and Wales at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on July 9, 2022. (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Springboks’ inability to convert good possession and territorial dominance into points proved costly in their second Test against Wales in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

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Although it was an experimental matchday squad, the Boks had several talented and experienced campaigners on the field, but they couldn’t breach Wales’s defence in a 12-13 defeat.

A couple of the debutants can hold their heads up high, but it’s still a defeat at home for the world champions and it’s not going to go down well with the supporters.

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Ian Foster fronts the media after the loss to Ireland in the second test | All Blacks press conference

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Ian Foster fronts the media after the loss to Ireland in the second test | All Blacks press conference

Check out the Player Ratings below.

15 Warrick Gelant – 6.5
He was a livewire at the back. He showed great determination to run the ball back when it was kicked to him and he made more metres with ball in hand than any other player on the field. His passing under pressure still needs to be refined at this level of the game and his kicking out of hand was not the best at times.

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse – 7
You could just feel the excitement levels rise whenever he got the ball. He was nearly in for a try in the opening few minutes after Warrick Gelant put him into space. He also evaded a few defenders in the second half when he got some more ball to work with. He also stood up to the physical challenge on defence by putting in some big hits on players who are larger than him.

13 Jesse Kriel – 5.5
The halfbacks certainly made sure the ball went his way on attack and he did deliver some good runs. His speed out wide kept Wales on their toes and he did have an eye for the gap. However, he got a bit predictable as the game went on.

12 Andre Esterhuizen – 6
He just didn’t have that impact the Boks want from a big physical No.12. He made some metres with a couple of his carries, but you just felt that there was more in him. He also made a couple of mistakes with ball in hand. He delivered a poor pass out wide in the seventh minute when the Boks had a great attacking opportunity and he also dropped the ball in contact in the 38th minute when momentum was building.

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11 Aphelele Fassi – 6.5
He didn’t get a lot of opportunities with ball in hand, but he certainly made his presence felt on defence. He was also a good chaser of the ball when the Boks were trying to put Wales under pressure. Maybe he should be given an opportunity in the fullback position.

10 Handre Pollard – 6
Even though no tries were scored, the Springboks were more assertive on attack with him at No.10. Not only did he look to put his centres in space, he also took the ball to the line on several occasions. However, execution is still a problem when it comes to South Africa’s flyhalves. He will also be kicking himself after missing a couple of penalties, especially the one in the 56th minute.

9 Jaden Hendrikse – 7
He brought great energy and his service from the rucks was fast and accurate for most of the game. He had a mixed bag in terms of his decision-making and his kicking out of hand could be better as well. Overall, it was a good performance from the youngster.

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8 Evan Roos – 7
He had more carries than any other player in the Springboks’ pack. With those carries his gainline success was top of the charts. With his big presence, he attracted more than one defender which created some space out wide. He can also be proud of his defensive performance. It was a good debut.

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7 Pieter-Steph du Toit – 6.5
The Bok coaches will be happy seeing him get through a full 80 minutes after the injury woes he had. It will take some time before he gets to the form that made him the world’s best player in 2019. However, he did show glimpses of it in the physical exchanges, especially on defence.

6 Marcell Coetzee – 6.5
The breakdown maestro didn’t get a lot of opportunities to disrupt Wales’ ball, but he was one of the go-to men when it came to carries around the rucks. He didn’t get much gainline success, but he certainly kept the Welsh defenders busy. On defence, he was rock solid like many of his teammates.

5 Marvin Orie – 6.5
He hardly put a foot wrong. He was a reliable catcher in the line-outs and he took his aggression levels in open play to a higher level in this Test. He certainly imposed himself physically at the rucks and on defence.

4 Eben Etzebeth – 8
He was by far the best player on the field for the Springboks. He terrorised Wales at the line-outs – he won a couple of balls on their throw-in and he also showed his strength by almost single-handedly stopping their driving mauls. He lives on the edge and he gave away a couple of penalties, but he does that in every game.

3 Trevor Nyakane – 6
It was a mixed bag in the scrums, but that might also be down to the referee’s interpretation. He did win a scrum penalty against Gareth Thomas in the 17th minute. The big man had a couple of strong carries, but his gainline success was nothing to write home about.

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2 Joseph Dweba – 6.5
He had a few big carries in the first half. One of those surely ended in a headache for Dan Biggar in the closing stages of the first half. His line-out throwing was generally good, but he will be kicking himself with his skew throw-in in the 25th minute when the Boks were just metres from the Welsh tryline.

1 Thomas du Toit – 7
Like Trevor Nyakane, he didn’t have a great time in the scrums, but he made up for it with a high work rate in open play. He hardly gave an inch on defence. In fact, he was one of his team’s best defenders when he was on the field.

Replacements:

16 Malcolm Marx – 7
His line-out throwing was spot on in the second half and he was part of a stronger front row as well. He can be a menace at the breakdowns, and he demonstrated that by winning a penalty in the 49th minute.

17 Ntuthuko Mchunu – 6.5
He showed his power by winning a scrum penalty in the 61st minute, but he also gave away a penalty in that area of the game in 76th minute. He didn’t get a lot of opportunities in open play, but he can hold his head up high.

18 Vincent Koch – 6.5
He was solid in the scrums, but he did give away a cheap scrum penalty in the 48th minute. He was a big presence on defence and he had a couple of strong carries as well.

19 Ruan Nortje – 6.5
Another one of those debutants that needs a pat on the back for getting into the thick of things up front. Defensively he was strong and made some valuable contributions in the set-pieces.

20 Rynhardt Elstadt – 6
He made his presence felt on defence with some monster hits. He certainly brought the aggression when he came onto the field.

21 Deon Fourie – 7
The debutant made the most of his opportunity with some aggressive and powerful ball carries. His gainline success was impressive.

22 Grant Williams – NA
Not enough time to be rated.

23 Damian Willemse – NA
Not enough time to be rated.

first published in Rugby 365

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j
john 53 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

14 Go to comments
A
Adrian 2 hours 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

14 Go to comments
T
Trevor 5 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 9 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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