Springboks player ratings: Rookie forward ‘the shining light’ as world champions suffer shock defeat to Wallabies
Springboks duo Canan Moodie (inset) and Paul de Villiers were two of their better players against the Wallabies.
After their 42-38 defeat to the Wallabies in their one-off Test at the Optus Stadium in Perth, here’s how the Springboks team performed on Sunday.
Springboks player ratings v Wallabies
15 Aphelele Fassi: Not a game the 28-year-old will remember fondly as his negatives outweighed his positives. Fassi had some good moments with ball in hand but struggled in other facets of play. Attempted two tackles but missed both and did not cover himself in glory in the aerial duels where he spilled some high balls. One of those had dire consequences as the ball was gathered by Len Ikitau who scored a try. 4
14 Edwill van der Merwe: The Sharks speedster continued with his prolific try-scoring record at Test level by rounding off superbly in the opening half and continued to ask questions of the Wallabies defence as the match progressed. Finished with 31 metres gained which included one clean break and a defender beaten. 6
13 Canan Moodie: The versatile back showed his class when he ran a brilliant line in the build-up to Van der Merwe’s try and continued to ask some questions of the Wallabies defence. Moodie eventually gained 59 attacking metres and also impressed on defence where he made 10 tackles. 7
12 Andre Esterhuizen (c): The Springboks‘ newest captain toiled manfully for the full 80 minutes but his efforts reaped little reward. Although he tried to take the fight to the Wallabies, he made little headway. Finished with 38 metres gained while also putting in a solid defensive shift as he made 10 hits. 6
11 Ethan Hooker: The young winger retained his spot in the Boks’ starting line-up and was always looking for work in this clash. Hooker was solid under the high ball and took the fight to the Wallabies with some strong carries and made 60 metres. 7
10 Handre Pollard: The experienced playmaker was back in the world champions’ run-on side for the first time in a while but apart from his usual excellent goal-kicking, he had little influence on proceedings. Found Moodie with a well-timed pass in the build-up to Van der Merwe’s try but that was the only time he looked threatening on attack. Eventually replaced by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu early in the second half. 4
9 Herschel Jantjies: Another one who made a rare start for the Springboks and it showed as he failed to get his outside backs firing. Jantjies was caught in possession on a few occasions, and his decision making was poor. Yanked off after 48 minutes with Morne van den Berg replacing him. 4
The forwards
8 Marco van Staden: It was a big call from Boks head coach Rassie Erasmus to start him at number eight and that experiment did not pay off as Van Staden didn’t impress. Although he had a high work-rate on defence and eventually made 10 tackles, he was anonymous on attack before being replaced by Jasper Wiese in the 48th minute. 5
7 Elrigh Louw: Van Staden’s fellow Bulls back-row emptied the tank on defence and finished with a match-high 15 tackles made but he was less visible with ball in hand. Was a handy option at the back of the lineout. 6
6 Paul de Villiers: His direct duel with Fraser McReight was one of the highlights of the match as both delivered excellent all-round efforts. De Villiers was the Springboks’ shining light in this match especially at the breakdowns where he won three crucial turnovers. Was also a willing ball carrier, gaining 24 metres, and solid on defence where he made seven hits. 8
5 Franco Mostert: The veteran second-row did what was expected of him in the execution of his core duties as he won his fair share of lineout balls and did well on defence as he made nine tackles. 6
4 Eben Etzebeth: Extended his record as the Springboks’ most experienced Test player and he was in the thick of the action throughout. Was a valuable source of lineout possession and shone on defence where made 12 hits. 6
3 Zachary Porthen: The young front-row was solid in the scrums and put in some big hits on defence, especially at close quarters, eventually making nine hits. However, there was a noticeable improvement in the Boks’ scrum when Wilco Louw replaced him in the 48th minute. 5
2 Johan Grobbelaar: It was a momentous encounter for the rookie hooker as he crossed for his first Test try early in the opening half but apart from that, he did not make a big impact in other areas. Missed his jumper at a lineout before coming off after 48 minutes with Malcolm Marx replacing him. 5
1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels: Like his fellow prop Porthen, Wessels stood up well at scrum-time but there was improvement in that area when he left the field with Ox Nche taking his place. 5
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Replacements: Most of world champions’ much vaunted Bomb Squad came onto the field during the early stages of the second half but their introduction did not have desired effect initially. They only showed their worth during the latter stages, when the Boks were chasing the game, and the likes of Nche, Marx and Wiese did well amongst the forwards while Van den Berg and Feinberg-Mngomezulu impressed in the backline. 6
