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Springboks player ratings vs Wallabies | Rugby Championship

By Rugby365
Handre Pollard (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

By Warren Fortune, rugby365.com

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The Springboks produced their worst performance of the season so far in their 26-28 defeat to the Wallabies on Sunday.

Jacques Nienaber’s side struggled to get any momentum in the match and their discipline was poor as well.

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Ian Foster reacts to All Blacks win over Los Pumas in Rugby Championship

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Ian Foster reacts to All Blacks win over Los Pumas in Rugby Championship

Here’s how the Springboks rated:

15. Willie le Roux – 4/10

He started the game well by fielding several tough high balls before it turned into a horror show for the fullback. A wayward pass to Handre Pollard in the first half led to a three-pointer for Quade Cooper and in the second half he received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. His attacking game was non-existent.

14. Sbu Nkosi – 3/10

He was poor on defence. He missed a lot of tackles, especially out wide on Marika Koroibete. He only had one real run with the ball and that was in the second half.

13. Lukhanyo Am – 3.5/10

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He had a shocker in the first half when he lost control of the ball in the Australian in-goal area when all he had to was place the ball for a try. He had another shocker when he lost the ball went forward at the beginning of the second half when there was some space in front of him. There were a few promising carries, but it came to nothing.

12. Damian de Allende – 5/10

It seemed like he was stuck in first gear for the entire 80 minutes. He was outplayed by his opposite number, Samu Kerevi, in the midfield.

11. Makazole Mapimpi – 4/10

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The Australians covered him well out wide. He was a threat under the high ball, especially in the danger zones. His defensive game was a mixed bag with a couple of missed tackles.

10. Handre Pollard – 3.5/10

It was one of his worst performances in the Bok jersey. Kicking is a big part of the Boks’ game plan, but in this match, he kicked good quality attacking ball away. When he decided to keep the ball in hand he was a bit clueless. He also missed a few goal-kicks, which was costly. Off in the 66th minute.

9. Faf de Klerk – 4/10

It was a mixed bag from the Bok scrumhalf. He had a few good kicks out of hand which put the Wallabies under pressure in the first 15 minutes. Then things started to go pear-shaped with his missed tackle on Samu Kerevi leading Andrew Kellaway’s try. His distribution from the base of the ruck was also poor at times. Off in the 77th.

8. Duane Vermeulen – 6.5/10

He got his team over the gain line on a few occasions. He also made his presence felt at the breakdowns. However, it wasn’t a trademark Vermeulen performance out there and Wallabies dealt with him well when he was on the field. Off in the 53rd.

7. Franco Mostert – 5/10

Most of his work was in the line-outs, mauls and on defence. Like many of his teammates in the pack, he did not dominate opponents in open play and he wasn’t aggressive enough at the breakdowns.

6. Siya Kolisi (captain) – 4.5/10

Got a yellow card for a silly tip tack on Tom Banks in the 16th minute and while he was off the field the Wallabies scored a try. He was another one of South Africa’s big names who failed to impose himself physically in the game. Off in the 55th.

5. Lood de Jager – 5/10

He made a lot of tackles out there and his big hit on Allan Alaalatoa in the 39th minute stopped the Wallabies in their tracks when they were building momentum towards the tryline. Despite his heroics on defence, he also missed a number of tackles. He was a key figure in the line-outs and mauls.

4. Eben Etzebeth – 4/10

He gave away a couple of penalties in the first half and he just didn’t have the impact in open play that we saw against the British and Irish Lions and Argentina. The one positive was his ability to put pressure on Tate McDermott around the rucks. Off in the 53rd.

3. Frans Malherbe – 5.5/10

He won his team a few scrum penalties, but he was dominated in the set-piece just before half-time which gave the Wallabies a chance to extend the lead. He hardly had any contribution with ball and hand. However, he was solid on defence.

2. Bongi Mbonambi – 5/10

He scored a try from the maul in the 28th minute, but other than that he was quiet in terms of his contribution in open play. He did put in few good hits on defence. Off in the 47th.

1. Steven Kitshoff – 6/10

He was one of the Springboks’ best defenders on the park with 11 tackles. He was also solid in the scrums, but the Boks needed him to carry the ball more in open play. Off in the 57th.

Replacements:

16. Malcolm Marx – 7/10

On in the 47th. He made a massive impact when he came onto the field. The Boks got over the advantage line more when he had the ball and he scored two tries from driving mauls.

17. Ox Nche – 7/10

On in the 57th. He was powerful in the scrums in the second half and maybe the Boks should have got more penalties for that dominance.

18. Vincent Koch – 7/10

On in the 53rd. Like Nche, he dominated his opponent at scrum time and he had a much better contribution with ball in hand than Malherbe.

19. Marco van Staden – 5/10

On in the 55th. He was a bit quiet in the final 25 minutes. He tackled well, but other than that there is not much to go on.

20. Albertus Smith – 6.5/10

On in the 53rd. He looked for work when he came onto the field, especially at the breakdowns. he had a great steal in the 68th minute.

21. Jasper Wiese – 7/10

On in the 53rd. The No.8 should have probably started the match. He brought the physicality with ball in hand that was lacking in the first half.

22. Herschel Jantjies – N/A

On in the 77th. Not enough time to be rated.

23. Damian Willemse – N/A

On in the 66th. Not enough time for a rating, but missed an easy conversion before making a try-saving tackle.

This article was first published on rugby365.com and was republished here with permission.

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j
john 15 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.

13 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

13 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 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 8 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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