Springboks player ratings: ‘Brutal’ forward excels as Bomb Squad ‘explodes’ late to down Scotland

Following the Springboks 15-32 victory over Scotland, here is how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ men at Murrayfield Stadium in the Autumn Nations Series.

Springboks player ratings v Scotland

15 Willie le Roux: A gaffe in the back-field in the second half was one of the few blights on his game as the veteran full-back shone as he edged towards 100 Springboks Test caps. He kicked superbly with a glorious chip landing perfectly for Mapimpi’s second try. He made good decisions overall on attack too. 8

14 Canan Moodie: A really impressive performance from the young back as he contested in the air superbly and defended just as well halting some threatening Scottish attacks with some great decisions. He did not see as much ball as Mapimpi but did manage to make some great runs gaining over 30 metres. 8

13 Lukhanyo Am: Defensively excellent and at the breakdown too as Am continues to look more and more like the player that inspired the Springboks to World Cup glory in 2019. He was slick with ball in hand and crucially won a breakdown penalty when Scotland were applying the pressure and had momentum. 7

12 Andre Esterhuizen: A powerhouse outing from the centre up against the formidable Scottish pairing. Esterhuizen hammered into the Scotland defence time and time again and got great purchase with his carries. He regularly drew more than one defender with his runs but also showed his softer skills in the manner that he linked up with Pollard and Am. 8

11 Makazole Mapimpi: An expert finisher and he needed no second invitation for his two scores. He also managed to keep the threatening Blair Kinghorn rather quiet with his defensive reads. He remains a classy operator into his 30s even though he spent 10 minutes in the sin bin. 8

10 Handre Pollard: A few errors with his kicks out of hand but he brilliantly set up Mapimpi for the opening try and overall his high bombs were on point and put the Scottish back-field under immense pressure. He will be livid by his missed kick to touch before half time but he mixed up his approach on attack well. 7

9 Jaden Hendrikse: A few errors that the breakdown as the Scotland pack applied the pressure on the scrum-half. It cost the Springboks great attacking positions on several occasions but it was not all his doing. Otherwise, his service was sharp as were his box kicks. 5

Springboks blow Scotland away to kickstart their November tour with flattering win

Forward pack

8 Kwagga Smith: Thrown into the starting XV in his 50th Test cap after starring for most of the year off the bench. Smith brilliantly charged down Finn Russell’s drop-goal attempt but frankly, it wasn’t the best performance from the usually sensational loose forward. He conceded a handful of penalties and coughed up a few balls too. 5

7 Elrigh Louw: Powerful in the tight exchanges as he hammered into contact and was otherwise solid before his number was called and he was replaced by Pieter-Steph du Toit. 7

6 Marco van Staden: A rare start for the openside flanker and overall, it wasn’t a poor one. Scotland got the upper hand at the breakdown in the opening half of the match but Van Staden impressed with ball in hand. 6

World rankings: Springboks return to the top as England fall to an eight-year low

5 Franco Mostert: A sharp 40 minutes on his return from a nasty leg break, Mostert wasn’t at his best in running the lineout but he was up to his usual standard around the park with his insane work rate. A solid return and one that will please Erasmus ahead of the clash against England. 6

4 Eben Etzebeth (c): Outside of his hot-headed moment that cost the Springboks a great field position, it was yet another excellent outing from the stand-in skipper. He was a pest for Ben White at the back of the ruck, carried strongly, was good in the defensive lineout and made a clutch tackle on Duhan van der Merwe. 8

3 Thomas du Toit: He turned the screws on Pierre Schoeman for most of his stint and reacted wonderfully to score his first try for the Springboks. It’s a huge ask to fill Frans Malherbe’s void but Du Toit rose to the task and did so brilliantly. A brutally effectively shift from the excellent tighthead prop who is surely going to start again next week. 8

2 Bongi Mbonambi: Uncharacteristically inaccurate at the lineouts particularly in the first half. The set-piece inaccuracies was not solely down to his throwing but his darts weren’t near his usual high standard. 5

1 Ox Nche: A quieter game by his incredibly high standards as he simply got the job done at scrum time and around the park. He did clean up a few loose balls and managed to get an offload away. 6

Replacements: The Bomb Squad’s impact wasn’t immediate as they took a while to really turn the screws on the Scots but they did get the upper hand in the scrums and there were telling impacts from the likes of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Malcolm Marx. Grant Williams also lifted the tempo of the attack and looked far sharper than Hendrikse. Not quite as box-office from the replacements but they managed the game well and eventually exploded with Jasper Wiese putting the finishing touches. 8

READ MORE: Scotland player ratings v Springboks: ‘Exceptional’ rookie shines in brave defeat to world champions