10 of the week’s top performers including perfect Pablo Matera and ‘destructive’ Springbok props
Pablo Matera and Ox Nche both feature in our list this weekend
Another spellbinding weekend of Test rugby is in the rear-view mirror and we can now reveal our top performers from the weekend according to our player ratings.
Since our ratings only covered the Wallabies v Springboks and All Blacks v Argentina, our top 10 will be derived from these games.
Pablo Matera: 10/10
On his return to captaincy, Matera once again earned respect from his Kiwi opponents. He produced a titanic shift in defence and in the breakdown, and also got heavily involved in attack as well. He was head and shoulders the best player on the park, but it only adds to his collection of big game performances. It’s also incredibly rare to score a perfect 10/10, but Planet Rugby features editor Jared Wright rightly gave him this accolade.
Santiago Chocobares: 9/10
The Toulouse centre reproduced his outstanding club form for his nation against New Zealand. In attack he racked up a decent 30 metres with ball-in-hand and beat three defenders in the process. In defence he also got stuck into tackles, making the most of any back with 16.
Marcos Kremer: 9/10
Los Pumas back-row on the whole were immense, and Kremer’s brutal defensive showing went a long way to securing victory. He once again finished up top of the tackle stats, and overall added heaps of physicality to the Pumas line.
Juan Martin Gonzalez: 9/10
The superb Gonzalez missed out on the France series, but he certainly made up for lost time with a marvellous performance against New Zealand. He complimented his fellow back-rowers well, and enjoyed an overall wonderful outing.
Agustin Creevy: 9/10
What a cameo off the bench for the evergreen Creevy, as he swung the game towards his team in the final stages of the match. He produced the crucial try late into the day, and also came up with a nifty turnover to deny New Zealand an opportunity too.
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Frans Malherbe: 9/10
He hasn’t been in the best of form recently, but he was back to his destructive best in the scrum against Australia. He dominated Wallabies loosehead Isaac Kailea in the scrum, giving the fresh-faced Wallaby a true baptism of fire in his first Rugby Championship game. Malherbe also came up with a crucial cover tackle to deny Australia a good chance in the second-half.
Ox Nche: 9/10
Another brilliantly brutal showing at scrum-time from Ox Nche, as he decimated experienced tighthead Allan Alaalatoa with a scrummaging masterclass. He was also imperious around the park, getting stuck in on both sides of the ball. Nche certainly showed why he is probably the best loosehead in the world right now.
Jesse Kriel: 8/10
Despite copping a yellow card towards the end of the game, he put in yet another world class showing. He produced a crucial line break in the build-up to Kurt-Lee Arendse’s second try, and overall was heavily involved in both attack and defence.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: 8/10
Shook off an early miss from the tee to produce a brilliant display on his maiden start. Pulled the strings to guide his side forward and sparked some devastating attacks. Feinberg-Mngomezulu is looking like a real talent.
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Pieter-Steph du Toit: 8/10
Deployed in the engine room following the late withdrawal of RG Snyman, but he was just as effective as usual. He notched a decent try on the way to victory, and also contributed greatly to every facet of the game. The set-piece has been a slight issue for the Boks in recent weeks, but he helped sure it up against Australia.
