All Blacks player ratings: Usual suspects shine but Ardie Savea injury and back’s ‘shambolic’ defensive lapses costly in Springboks loss

Following a 29-24 defeat to the Springboks in the third Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.

15 Damian McKenzie: Part of a flowing attack which caused plenty of problems for a South African rearguard that has been rather porous over the past month, but there wasn’t too much impact individually. Great try-saving tackle on Ox Nche, but the hosts would go over from the resultant scrum. 6

14 Will Jordan: Oozed class yet again, to the extent that you run out of superlatives for the world-class back three star. Broke free on a couple of occasions and made an incredible turnover five metres out, with his only blot a poor pass which was intercepted by Ethan Hooker and almost resulted in a try. Then had a bad start to the second period with a knock-on but displayed his try-scoring instincts by latching onto Leroy Carter’s offload. 8

13 Quinn Tupaea: Ridiculous strength to fend off Eben Etzebeth, who was ragdolled by the All Blacks centre. Also had some good moments elsewhere but that was his highlight before he unfortunately went off injured early in the second half. 7

12 Jordie Barrett: After a quieter encounter in Cape Town, Barrett was once again central to New Zealand’s game with some outstanding moments in attack and defence. His passing game is absolutely crucial to how this team operates. 8

Defence issues costly

11 Leroy Carter: Some good, some incredibly poor. Carter was a threat with ball-in-hand and his break led to Ardie Savea’s second try, while he provided the assist for Jordan, but he also didn’t do a particularly good job on defence for two of the tries. In the first, it might have been Damian de Allende in front of him, but it was still a weak attempt from the wing and then for Jesse Kriel’s effort, it was quite simply a shambolic attempt. 4

10 Ruben Love: Was yellow-carded for what was deemed a cynical offside at the end of the first-half but before that he was improved from Cape Town. Took on more responsibility, looked a running threat himself and there was some wonderful distribution, but, like his teammates, he was quieter in the second period and his goal-kicking was poor. 6

9 Cam Roigard: Another player that just doesn’t seem to suffer a dip. Whips the ball away from the breakdown, which made it so difficult for the Springboks to realign, while he always kept the defence guessing with his work around the fringes. 7

8 Ardie Savea (c): Was absolutely outstanding for half an hour, scoring two tries, carrying hard and defending resolutely, but unfortunately suffered a shoulder injury. If it’s serious, that could be his season, but we sincerely hope the great Savea can return as soon as possible. They certainly missed his leadership and quality after the break, and it was critical in South Africa’s second-half dominance. 8

7 Luke Jacobson: A solid all-round shift from the openside, who is vital to the quick ball they get, while he also had some good moments with ball in hand. Jacobson is also a menace without the ball, but he wasn’t quite as influential in that area on Saturday. 6

6 Peter Lakai: Started brilliantly with a superb turnover on his own line and flew into contact throughout, making his presence felt both with and without the ball. As for the lineout, the All Blacks kept it simple to limit the Boks’ disruption. 7

Outstanding work-rate

5 Sam Darry: It was a surprise to see Fabian Holland dropped to the bench, but Darry justified his inclusion. Displayed his all-round game with a huge cleanout before contributing to the next phase of play. That work ethic epitomised his performance. 7

4 Tupou Vaa’i: Combined well enough with Darry in the second-row, showing good footwork with ball in hand and doing his job in both defence and lineout. However, found himself in a bad position for the Boks’ fourth try. 6

3 Tyrel Lomax: Demolished again in the scrum in another tough day for the tighthead. Ox Nche bullied him throughout his time on the field in what has been a chastening tour for the usually proficient prop. 4

2 Asafo Aumua: The lineout was always a concern, but he was helped by the simplicity of the calls as the Springboks did not make too much headway. That duly enabled him to impact matters in the loose and Aumua was duly dynamic around the field. 7

1 George Bower: Should Ethan de Groot return for the fourth Test, it would not be a surprise if it is Xavier Numia who gets the bench spot as Bower was hammered in the set-piece. Wilco Louw was absolutely monstrous in the set-piece and the loosehead had little answer. 4

Replacements: The replacement props once again did a fine job in stemming the tide in the scrum, but the others simply couldn’t get into the game. Wallace Sititi didn’t do enough at number eight after coming on for Savea, despite a late break, and Fabian Holland conceded a poor penalty, while in the backline, Kyle Preston was the best of the lot but they were generally on the back foot. 4

READ MORE: Springboks v All Blacks, LIVE BLOG: Coverage of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test in Soweto