Springboks player ratings: ‘Outrageous’ Damian Willemse shines in milestone match as Bomb Squad blasts England away
Springboks fullback Damian Willemse and an inset of Malcolm Marx.
Following the Springboks’ 45-21 victory over England at Ellis Park, here’s how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges.
Springboks player ratings v England
15 Damian Willemse: Celebrated his 50th Springboks appearance with a wonderful performance where he dominated the aerial game, threatened from the back and kicked superbly. His showing included a brilliant run leading to Thomas du Toit’s try, an outrageous 50:22 and several key interventions on defence. 9
14 Cheslin Kolbe: Skinned Cadan Murley to score on his 50th appearance for the Springboks and, like Willemse, was brilliant in the air. He also made some good reads in defence and kicked well off the tee. 8
13 Jesse Kriel: Ran a great arc to cross over for a crucial try in the context of the match while he generally made good decisions defensively. Remains a key cog in the Springboks’ backline. 8
12 Damian de Allende: A menace in the midfield as he hammered into the English defensive line. He also flexed his breakdown prowess with a few turnovers and provided the assist to Kolbe’s try. Not a blockbuster shift but the kind of understated, effective one that we’ve become accustomed to from the veteran. 7
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Grabbed his side’s third try, leaving Marcus Smith in a heap when doing so. However, he was sent to the sin bin for his deliberate knockdown and wasn’t quite at his best today. 5
10 Manie Libbok: Marshalled the Boks’ attack rather effectively alongside Williams, and while he had an error or two, it was a largely solid performance on both sides of the ball. 7
9 Grant Williams: Brilliantly sold the English defence to slice through for his try while his box kicks made it possible for Kolbe and Arendse to compete. His service was swift and accurate in what was another superb shift from the scrum-half. 8
The forwards
8 Jasper Wiese: Will be particularly peeved about his tackle attempt on his ex-Leicester Tigers teammate George Martin. However, it was another classic Wiese performance where he was aggressive in contact and won a couple of turnovers in a tidy 65 minutes. Returned later in the match to finish off the job well. 7
7 Cameron Hanekom: Flashes of what he is capable of throughout his time on the park but not quite as effective as he has been for the Bulls. He made his tackles, carried relatively well but did concede a turnover. 6
6 Paul de Villiers: Attacked the breakdown aggressively throughout his 45-odd minutes on the park but had little success with England nullifying his threat. Still, the new Springbok equipped himself well on defence and carried well. 6
5 Ruan Nortje: Never fails to deliver a lively performance and today was no exception. Ran the lineout relatively well considering how aggressively England competed. 7
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4 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Shifted into the second-row and handed the captaincy after the injuries to Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth, but it hardly bothered Du Toit in the slightest as he went about his usual business. A high missed tackle count (7) but he was all over Ellis Park throughout his 80 minutes. Huge on the carry, immense in contact and important at the lineout. 7
3 Thomas du Toit: Honours even in the end at scrum time with the Springboks getting the upper hand and first before England turned the tide. Du Toit will be disappointed with his tackle attempt on Ellis Genge but pleased with his try. A hit-and-miss match for the tighthead. 6
2 Malcolm Marx: The lineout was somewhat shaky at times, and that wasn’t all on Marx, but he will shoulder some blame. However, the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year kick-started 2026 with a statement showing. He went the full 80 minutes, led the tackle count for the Springboks, was a threat at the breakdown, scored a try and assisted another, simply marvellous. 8
1 Ox Nche: The world-class prop lasted just eight minutes before limping off the pitch injured. He didn’t get the opportunity to scrum but did make a cracking break in the build-up to Kolbe’s try, going through Jamie George and Ollie Chessum. 7
Replacements: The Springboks needed some big shifts from the Bomb Squad to blow England off the park today and they got it through front rowers Gerhard Steenekamp, Zach Porthen and Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Marco van Staden and Ben-Jason Dixon followed suit as they exploded into life in the latter stages of the game. 8