Springboks player ratings: Bomb Squad’s ‘mauling masterclass’ dispels disrespectful selection claim, secures historic double in Australia
Our Springboks player ratings as South Africa complete a historic double Down Under.
Following the Springboks’ 30-12 victory over Australia in Perth to seal back-to-back wins over the Wallabies, here is how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges in Round Two of the Rugby Championship.
Springboks player ratings v Australia
15 Aphelele Fassi: Grabbed the Springboks‘ opening try speeding past the Wallabies defenders after a superb kick by Makazole Mapimpi. He was superb under the high ball too, making a notably great catch to deny Australia in the latter stages of the first half. Defence has often been his downfall but it was an area where he impressed as he was part of a back division that stifled so many Wallaby attacks. 7
14 Cheslin Kolbe: We once again got to see a vast array of the Springboks star’s skillset as he scythed through the Wallabies’ defence and almost set up a try in the early knockings of the match. The winger showed off his canon boot – once overcooking it – but on the whole, it was extremely effective for the Boks. He was good on defence and in cleaning up the loose ball. 7
13 Jesse Kriel: Few opportunities with ball in hand but he made good decisions in attack when it did come his way. A rock in defence as per usual. 6
12 Lukhanyo Am: He timed his pass in the build-up to Fassi’s try perfectly and was one of the few players who didn’t look to be impacted by the tough conditions. The move inside a channel from his usual outside centre role had little influence on him too. 6
11 Makazole Mapimpi: Bombed an almost certain try when he pinned his ears back instead of attempting a cut inside and spilled the ball in contact but made amends, assisting Fassi with a deft grubber. He cut out multiple threatening attacks with sharp reads. 7
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Coughed the ball with the try-line begging after Kolbe’s brilliance but like last week, he bounced back from his early blunder to put in a tidy shift. He kicked well out of hand and was a willing tackler. 6
9 Morne van den Berg: There was much excitement from the Springboks coaching staff for the scrum-half’s first start but sadly he did not live up to the billing in what was truthfully a rather challenging Test match for a young number nine to shine in. His passes weren’t as crisp or accurate as they have been in Lions colours but he will have been pleased to get through the performance with little mistakes and got one over the wily Nic White. 4
Victor Matfield praises Springboks for beating Australia with ‘South African DNA’
Back-rower excellence
8 Elrigh Louw: Dropped the kick-off and had another handling error in contact but those can also be put down to the conditions. Outside of those blunders, it was a sterling shift from the powerhouse back-rower who hammered into every contact with immense physicality. 7
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: A less box-office performance than he has produced in recent times but no less effective particularly in the tight exchanges. He was as industrious as ever on both sides of the ball and key in the rolling mauls too. 8
6 Marco van Staden: A textbook performance from the man affectionately known as ‘Eskom’ as he grabbed a maiden Test try which was just reward for his exploits as he pestered the Wallabies’ breakdown and was fierce on defence. He doesn’t often get a start but he made the most of it as the Boks needed a warrior in the trenches and they got it with him. 8
Tight five
5 Ruan Nortje: Could easily have mistaken the Bulls second-rower for Lood de Jager, with the bearded lock running the lineout well despite the testing conditions while chopping down Wallabies’ carries expertly. At the Bulls he set the standard with his work-rate and in his first start in the Green and Gold jersey it was no different – he was absolutely everywhere and made crucial interventions in the scraps. 8
4 Salmaan Moerat: A head knock brought his game to a halt just 18 minutes into the game. The Springboks captain looked to be building a strong performance as he pulverised one of Australia’s mauls. 5
3 Thomas du Toit: A rare start for the Bath star and he did not disappoint, putting Angus Bell under the pump in the scrums while stepping up defensively making a handy 11 tackles and a turnover. 8
2 Johan Grobbelaar: Both starting hookers struggled with their lineout throws in the challenging conditions, but Grobbelaar did manage to come right on occasion, most importantly for the one for the maul that led to Van Staden’s try. He also came up with a pilfer. 7
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Very unfortunate to concede an early penalty in the scrum but held his own for the most part in the set-piece and did exert some pressure on Allan Alaalatoa. Strong in the loose again. 6
Replacements: The Springboks’ famed ‘Bomb Squad’ is usually associated with the 6-2 and 7-1 splits but the 5-3 one had the same desired impact as all eight of the World Cup winners played a role in steering South Africa to back-to-back victories Down Under and dispel any notion of a disrespectful selection. Malcolm Marx grabbed a brace off the back of a mauling masterclass, Eben Etzebeth was brilliant having came on early while Handre Pollard and Manie Libbok managed the game superbly. 9
