Springboks player ratings: ‘One-man wrecking machine’ shines while Eben Etzebeth’s ‘moment of madness’ puts ‘a damper’ on Wales thrashing
Springboks centre Andre Esterhuizen scores a try against Wales while lock Eben Etzebeth leaves the field after being red carded (inset).
After their 73-0 victory over Wales in their Autumn Nations Series encounter at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, here’s how the Springboks team performed on Saturday.
Springboks player ratings v Wales
15 Damian Willemse: The 49-Test Springbok proved a real handful to the home side’s defence as he was solid at the back for the entire encounter. Put his side on the front foot with some fine attacking runs and scored one of his side’s 11 tries. 8
14 Ethan Hooker: Like most of the Boks players, the rookie speedster put in a superb attacking display as he kept the home side’s defenders on their toes and rounded off superbly during the game’s early stages. Hooker also did what was expected of him on defence and can be happy with his overall effort. 8
13 Damian de Allende: The experienced midfielder was in an unfamiliar position at outside centre but gave a good account of himself as he did brilliantly on attack and also impressed in the execution of his defensive duties. 8
12 Andre Esterhuizen: Springboks attack coach Tony Brown referred to him as a “One-man wrecking machine” and he illustrated why that is as he destroyed Wales with an excellent all-round performance. Esterhuizen kept Wales’ defenders busy with several barnstorming carries, put in some big hits on defence and also won some crucial turnovers at the breakdowns. A faultless display. 10
11 Canan Moodie: The Bulls flyer found himself in space out wide on numerous occasions and gave his side good momentum with some fine carries. Pounced on a Wales mistake early in the second half and showed great composure before crossing for a deserved try. 8
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: The new Golden Boy of South African rugby showed why he is so highly rated as he came to the fore with another outstanding attacking display. Caught the eye with excellent distribution, scored a brace of tries and slotted nine conversions to finish with a 28-point haul 9
9 Morne van den Berg: He looked lively from the outset and delivered an excellent service to his team-mates while also showing his attacking instincts when caught Wales napping at a ruck before crossing for a try just before half-time. Replaced by Cobus Reinach early in the second half. 8
Superb Springboks inflict another humiliation on woeful Wales in 11-try demolition in Cardiff
The forwards
8 Jasper Wiese: Was one of the world champions’ go-to men with the ball in hand, while he also did well on defence, and his efforts were rewarded with an easy try during the latter part of the first stanza after a powerful Boks scrum. 8
7 Franco Mostert: The experienced utility forward returned to action after last featuring in the win over Italy, and his involvement in that clash was cut short due to a red card, which was subsequently overturned. Mostert was on the field for 52 minutes before being replaced by Marco van Staden and impressed as a ball carrier and on defence during his time on the field. 7
6 Siya Kolisi (c): The world champions’ skipper was in the thick of the action from the outset and caught the eye with some superb carries and also put in a solid defensive shift before leaving the field after 52 minutes with Ben-Jason Dixon coming on in his place. 7
5 Ruan Nortje: One of the stars of the Springboks’ tour, Nortje delivered another outstanding all-round performance for the full 80 minutes. He marshalled the Boks’ lineouts brilliantly and proved a valuable source of possession at the set-piece. He also put in a big shift on defence and crossed for his first Test try in the game’s final quarter. 9
4 Jean Kleyn: The Munsterman made a rare start for the world champions but can be happy with his efforts as he won his fair share of line-out balls while also putting his body on the line in defence. He came off along with several other Boks forwards early in the second half, with Eben Etzebeth taking his spot. 7
3 Wilco Louw: It was one-way traffic in the scrums as the Boks continued where they left off against Ireland last week, with a powerful performance at the set-piece, and Louw was dominant in that aspect of play. Also crossed the whitewash early in the second half from close quarters before being replaced by Asenathi Ntlabakanye in the 52nd minute. 8
2 Johan Grobbelaar: The Bulls stalwart was brilliant in the execution of his core duties, with his line-out throw-ins particularly impressive as he found his jumpers with regularity. Also did well as a ball carrier, with his only blip being a penalty, which he conceded shortly before Bongi Mbonambi replaced him in the 52nd minute. 7
1 Gerhard Steenekamp: Just like fellow prop Louw, Steenekamp was superb in the scrums while also doing his bit with ball in hand and was rewarded with South Africa’s first five-pointer early on. Steenekamp was eventually replaced by Zachary Porthen early in the second half. 8
Replacements: The Boks’ substitutes continued with the fine work of the players they replaced, and there was no drop off in the intensity levels once Boks’ head coach made all eight of his alterations at the same tim,e 12 minutes into the second half. The big talking point was Etzebeth’s moment of madness for an eye gouge on Alex Mann, which resulted in the Boks’ enforcer receiving a red card from referee Luc Ramos. That indiscretion put a damper on proceedings as it occurred in the game’s dying moments, but Etzebeth cannot complain with the referee’s decision, which was the correct one. 7
READ MORE: Siya Kolisi defends Eben Etzebeth stating there is ‘no way’ he eye-gouged on purpose
