Springboks player ratings: Pieter-Steph du Toit produces an all-time great performance in Rugby World Cup Final

Following South Africa’s 12-11 victory over the All Blacks in Rugby World Cup Final at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, here are our Springboks’ player ratings.

15 Damian Willemse: A solid 66 minutes under the high ball and kicked well out of hand, getting the Springboks out of some tricky situations. He had two attempts at the drop goal, with both falling well short. Willemse did miss some crucial tackles. 6

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Came narrowly close to scoring a try and like Kolbe, he was excellent on the kick chase and on the whole was good defensively. He had very few opportunities with ball in hand. 7

13 Jesse Kriel: He had a poor kick near the end of the game but again he was brilliant on defence and shut down so many of the All Blacks‘ threatening attacks. 7

12 Damian de Allende: A huge defensive shift and hammered into the All Blacks defence when required. He was also a monster at the breakdown. 7

11 Cheslin Kolbe: His yellow card put the Springboks under pressure but probably saved a try as well. He was great with the kick chase and under the high ball himself. 7

Back-to-back World Cup winning half-backs

10 Handré Pollard: Lapses in defence throughout the game but he was excellent under the high ball and nailed his clutch kicks under pressure. 8

9 Faf de Klerk: Kicked well out of hand giving the chasers as a chance to regather the ball. Incredibly busy on defence and came up with a crucial charge down in the final minutes of the game. 8

8 Duane Vermeulen: His final appearance in the Springbok jersey, and the veteran threw absolutely everything he had left in the tank at it. He had some viscous carries, gaining over 40 metres, and was massive on defence, too. 7

World class Du Toit

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: A heroic defensive effort from the brilliant back-rower who worked tirelessly throughout the game. He covered just about every blade of grass on the pitch at the Stade de France. Sublime from the former World Player of the Year. He equalled Thierry Dusautoir’s record of 28 tackles in a single Rugby World Cup match. 10

6 Siya Kolisi: Rightly yellow carded for his tackle and again rightly not upgraded to a red. The Springboks captain made a massive break at the start of the second half, and outside his tackle that resulted in a card, he was excellent on defence. 7

5 Franco Mostert: Put in a mammoth 52-minute shift on defence, racking up 16 tackles. Thundered into the All Blacks defence and pestered New Zealand’s lineout that struggled when he was on the pitch. 7

4 Eben Etzebeth: Another hugely busy shift from the second-rower who contested the lineout well, winning a steal in the 24th minute. He also landed some massive hits. He was, however, guilty of conceding a penalty that kept the pressure on the Boks, which led to a try. 8

Front-row

3 Frans Malherbe: Involved in a tight scrum battle with Ethan de Groot and spent most of his performance piling into the rucks. He too was made to rack up an impressive tackle count. 7

2 Bongi Mbonambi: Gutting for the Springboks hooker who, for a second final in a row, had his game ended early through injury. He lasted 20 minutes in 2019 but managed three today. N/A

1 Steven Kitshoff: Another busy defender with the Bok loosehead making 13 tackles in a tidy shift overall. He did not dominate the scrums but fought hard in an arm wrestle with Tyrel Lomax. 6

Replacements: Deon Fourie was phenomenal from the minute he came off the bench. He had his wobbles with the lineout throws but was sublime at the breakdown and with his carries. Kwagga Smith was a game changer again, while the likes of Ox Nche, Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman played a crucial role in seeing the game out. 9

READ MORE: Superb Springboks claim fourth Rugby World Cup success as 14-man All Blacks fall agonisingly short