Springboks player ratings: ‘Titanic powerhouse’ stars as Malcolm Marx ‘blinder’ seals the win over the All Blacks
Following the Springboks’ 18-12 victory over the All Blacks to clinch the Freedom Cup in Cape Town, here is how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges.
Springboks player ratings v All Blacks
15 Willie le Roux: The Springboks veteran had a mixed bag performance in the first half making several sharp decisions with the ball in hand and was solid under the high ball. However, a few of his passes found grass and one found an All Black hand, thankfully for him while the Boks had an advantage. He gambled with his intercept and came up short. 5
14 Canan Moodie: First Test of the year as the youngster did not disappoint with a tidy performance under the high ball and racked up over 40 metres with the ball in hand. He did make only four of his eight but he shot up to stop threatening attacks in doing so. 6
13 Jesse Kriel: A solid outing on defence as the Springboks stopped the All Blacks from scoring a single try. He made good decisions on attack too and slipped onto the big with little fuss. 6
12 Damian de Allende: A titanic performance from the powerhouse centre who was at the forefront of the Springboks’ attack. He was rightly named man of the match for his efforts on both sides of the ball and popped up with a turnover again. 9
11 Cheslin Kolbe: Threw in the lineout, showed off his brilliant footwork and even attempted a drop goal that he scuffed. He is truly a world-class talent and again he displayed his full box of tricks. He continues to defy the odds chopping down much bigger carriers with ease. 8
Halfbacks
10 Handre Pollard: Edged closer to breaking Morne Steyn’s record as the second top scorer for the Springboks adding a penalty and conversion. The service to him wasn’t the best but he tried his utmost to make the most of it and had some good carries. A strong outing overall from the veteran Springbok. 7
9 Grant Williams: Finally got a start in the nine jersey but unfortunately, it wasn’t the best start for the livewire scrum-half who was pinged for taking longer than three seconds to clear the ball from the ruck. His couple of steps before passing led to the Springboks’ attack stuttering in the first half but his kicking was spot on and he grew into the game the longer it went on and made more positive contributions. He much improved in his final 20 minutes before he was replaced. 6
Springboks claim epic double over All Blacks ending 15-year wait for Freedom Cup glory
Back-row
8 Jasper Wiese: Lashed out on Cortez Ratima with the scrum-half blocking his chasing path and was rightly sent to the sin bin for his decision to do so. That came after he saved the Boks on their line with a fantastic steal winning the height battle. Upon his return, he was back to his form last week, particularly with ball in hand as he thundered into the All Blacks’ tacklers. 7
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Came up in the clutch with the match-winning lineout steal in another brilliant performance from the man seemingly pushing for the World Rugby Player of the Year award. He was excellent in the collisions gaining over 30 metres and made 13 hits on defence. 8
6 Siya Kolisi (c): Delayed the treatment for his nose fracture to feature in this Test match and he did not shy away from the contact for a second. He made a key tackle early on to stop Mark Tele’a in his tracks and win a turnover for the Boks. He tracked back and crucially beat Will Jordan to the ball in the first half and really came alive in the second with a fantastic line and carry to score before landing a hammering tackle. The inspirational skipper was replaced after 56 minutes after a mighty performance. 8
Tight five
5 Ruan Nortje: Has the engine of a Toyota Hilux as he just never stopped working. Relentless on defence leading the Springboks’ defensive charge and hitting countless rucks. The lineout had its wobbles with making the calls but overall another sterling effort and performance as he continues to ease the Boks’ lock crisis. 7
4 Eben Etzebeth: Seemingly rises to the occasion for the big Tests. He may well have scored but it was not clear enough for the officials after a smart bit of play. Again, he was strong in the contact areas of the game but showed his softer skills with a few great passes and decision-making. Shows no sign of a dip in form as he edges towards becoming the most capped Springbok of all-time. 8
3 Frans Malherbe: It was a tight scrum battle between him and Tamaiti Williams despite the Bok clearly turning the screws on the loosehead early on. Solid around the field. 6
2 Bongi Mbonambi: After a flawless start at lineout time in the Rugby Championship, it went a bit pear-shaped for the Springboks hooker in the first half as the All Blacks pressured the set-piece quite successfully. Still effective around the park with hard hits on defence and had a handful of strong carries. 5
1 Ox Nche: A strong scrummaging performance in a good battle with Tyrel Lomax. Nche lived on the scraps cleaning well for the Springboks when the ball was loose and carried well. 7
Replacements: Again the Springboks’ bench saw the team to victory with Malcolm Marx having a blinder scoring a crucial try and being a real pest at the breakdown. Jaden Hendrikse brought more control from the scrum-half role while Elrigh Louw as excellent with ball in hand. Kwagga Smith rose to his extremely high standard while Lukhanyo Am was sharp in the backs. 8