All Blacks player ratings: ‘Mixed’ return for Richie Mo’unga while Cam Roigard shines but bench ‘demolished by the Bomb Squad’
Richie Mo'unga and Cam Roigard in action for the All Blacks against the Springboks.
Following a 43-28 defeat to the Springboks in the final Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.
15 Damian McKenzie: Tried to make things happen but quite often it didn’t pay off. A few too many errors from McKenzie, who hasn’t quite made that full-back shirt his own, despite some decent displays over the past seven Tests. 5
14 Will Jordan: Once again a bright spark for the All Blacks, on both sides of the ball. His finish was fantastic, while he won another breakdown turnover which could have turned the tide, but it wasn’t to be. However, he struggled against Ethan Hooker in the air. 6
13 Anton Lienert-Brown: A quiet shift from the centre who replaced Quinn Tupaea for this clash before he then departed the field due to injury. 4
Another fine shift
12 Jordie Barrett: Maybe not the impact of previous Tests, but he made some big interventions in defence once again and also showed his dexterity with ball in hand, including the assist for Jordan’s score. 7
11 Josh Moorby: The Springboks again targeted the wing under the high ball, and he failed to cope. Some odd moments of magic, but that left wing spot has not really been claimed by anyone, and it doesn’t help that Caleb Clarke is out. 4
10 Richie Mo’unga: Certainly got involved more than Ruben Love and we liked a few things that he did, but it was mixed. Does he suit this All Blacks side, with Jordie Barrett and Cam Roigard being the primary decision-makers under Dave Rennie so far? We’ll see, but only time in the saddle will answer that question. 6
9 Cam Roigard: Can’t criticise the scrum-half, who did all he could to turn the tide. Almost produced a moment of magic by ripping the ball off Pieter-Steph du Toit and surging down the right, but he was offside – the second time he had been called back after making a break. Small margins which could have changed the game. 8
8 Peter Lakai: Replacing Ardie Savea at number eight, Lakai was excellent in most facets. He carried hard, found gaps in the Springboks’ defence and was tireless throughout. However, you certainly noticed that Savea was not there and the All Blacks did miss his leadership and influence. 7
7 Ethan Blackadder: Playing due to Luke Jacobson’s injury, he took on that role with aplomb, including the odd dodgy breakdown entry. Blackadder was magnificent both with and without the ball and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. Some player when fit. 8
Outmuscled by the Boks
6 Tupou Vaa’i: Moved to blindside to help shore up the lineout and add some extra physicality to the back five of the scrum, but he did neither really. Some nice moments with ball in hand, but the set-piece was poor and Vaa’i missed too many tackles, while he gave away a couple of brainless penalties. 4
5 Sam Darry: A much quieter game than last week and, quite frankly, he doesn’t quite look at the level of Fabian Holland despite a fantastic Nations Championship. The All Blacks front five, despite a better scrummaging showing, were once again bullied by South Africa. 4
4 Patrick Tuipulotu: Lovely hands for the Codie Taylor try while he was more physical than his locking team-mate, but Tuipulotu rather drifted out of the game and didn’t make it to the hour mark. 5
3 Fletcher Newell: Moved from the bench into the starting XV and probably did as good a job as anyone has against Ox Nche. The scrum was solid when Newell was on the field, while the tighthead also got through plenty of work in the loose. 7
2 Codie Taylor (c): Captaining in Savea’s absence, it all started so well for the hooker when he touched down, but then it went wrong. The lineout went awry on far too many occasions as New Zealand struggled to get a good platform. 4
1 Ethan de Groot: Back in the team and De Groot was much better in the scrum as he held his own against Wilco Louw, who has hammered all Kiwi looseheads over the past few weeks. Solid around the field as well. 6
Replacements: Demolished by the Bomb Squad, quite frankly. There were moments from Wallace Sititi but that was about it with the front-row struggling against the Springboks trio, while Josh Lord looked lightweight in comparison to the opposition behemoths. Beauden Barrett did score a try on his Test comeback but he was only afforded 10 minutes, while fellow returnee Rieko Ioane struggled in defence despite the odd glimpse in attack. 4