Springboks player ratings: Bomb Squad ‘saves’ Rassie Erasmus’ men’s blushes against brave Los Pumas as Cameron Hanekom shines
Springboks Cameron Hanekom and Aphelele Fassi
Following the Springboks’ 17-10 victory over Argentina in their final game before the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series with the All Blacks, here’s how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges.
Springboks player ratings versus Argentina
15 Aphelele Fassi: Delivered the assist for the Springboks’ first try, but it was hardly a glittering performance from Fassi, who was riddled with handling errors, was bounced in the first half, and also struggled with the conditions when kicking. Flashes of promise and brilliance but nothing that materialised. 4
14 Edwill van der Merwe: An incredible work-rate throughout his performance, with his try just before the end of the first half being just reward for his efforts. He relentlessly chased kicks, made good defensive reads and had real energy throughout. 8
13 Canan Moodie: Did superbly well to delay his pass to Fassi in the build-up to Van der Merwe’s try but had few real opportunities to attack with ball in hand. Defensively, he was sound but would have liked more chances to express himself. 6
12 Andre Esterhuizen: Like many of his teammates, there was good mixed in with the bad. A straightforward knock-on killed a promising attack in the third minute of the game, but he recovered to deliver the highlight of the first half with a sublime catch and even better offload, leading to Van der Merwe’s try. He was aggressive as ever in contact and defensively before being forced off after a head knock. 7
11 Ethan Hooker: Effort, effort and more effort. Hooker gave his all but got little in return with the Springboks backs unable to really create much for him to work with, limiting the 23-year-old to donkey work out wide. He did well with what he was given – which wasn’t much at all. 6
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: In stark contrast to his glorious statement performance against Argentina in Durban last year. While it wasn’t a terrible shift from the incredibly talented number 10, it was a subdued one as he marked his return from injury. He made a host of errors in the first half, but did build into the game as it went on. Plenty of effort and strong defensively but lacked the execution and finishing product to really punish the Pumas. His incredibly unlucky drop goal attempt on 20 minutes summed up his performance – right ideas, execution just off. A promising sign for the Springboks. 6
9 Cobus Reinach: A hit-and-miss performance from the experienced scrum-half who troubled the Argentine defence at times but was often the reason for the stuttering attack and didn’t kick overly accurately either. Replaced before the final quarter. 5
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The forwards
8 Cameron Hanekom: First start in the number eight jersey after an underwhelming shift against England in July, Hanekom made the most of his opportunity against a fired-up Los Pumas outfit. He had a few mistakes in his game, which comes with his work rate, and cost the Boks three points. However, his positives far outweighed his negatives as he scored a try, was effective at the breakdown and worked tirelessly throughout. He has been tipped for an incredibly bright future in Green and Gold, and we saw glimpses of why that is the case. 8
7 Elrigh Louw: There wasn’t anything box-office about the ‘Sherriff’s’ performance, but he did a ton of clean-up work when the ball was scrappy, and he carried reasonably well and made his tackles. A grafter’s shift. 6
6 Siya Kolisi (c): Lasted just 25 minutes before being forced off through injury after Esterhuizen fell on top of him at the ruck – a concerning look as he clutched at his hamstring. The Boks’ captain looked sharp during his cameo though, making strong carries into contact. The coaching team will be sweating over his fitness for the All Blacks. 6
5 Lood de Jager: An error-ridden shift from De Jager, who has struggled to stay fit in recent times and was in dire need of minutes, and he got 50-odd. His knock-on after the Springboks’ penalty set off the events leading to Argentina’s first try. He conceded a penalty too, and the lineout wasn’t flawless when he was on the park. It wasn’t all terrible, but the Boks coaches would have hoped for better. 4
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4 Eben Etzebeth: A few hefty collisions on both sides of the ball and put pressure on the Pumas’ lineout. The most capped Springbok of all-time wasn’t outstanding but put in a promising performance that he can certainly build upon heading into the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Series. He was energetic and mostly accurate. He was stupidly penalised for jumping into a tackle, which ended a threatening attack. 7
3 Thomas du Toit: Penalised at the first scrum for collapsing, which led to the opening try of the game. He managed to get one back in the second but wasn’t rewarded thereafter. Did his job around the park, solid but not a standout. 6
2 Johan Grobbelaar: A few hiccups at lineout time, including an overthrow that wasted an attacking position five metres out from Argentina’s line. He never lacks effort around the park and today was no different. 7
1 Boan Venter: Battered Francisco Moreno in the second scrum of the game but didn’t get much reward thereafter in the set-piece. However, the loosehead prop was incredibly lively around the park in his 50 minutes. A solid outing and one that keeps him in contention for a place in the team to face the All Blacks. 7
Replacements: The Springboks needed their Bomb Squad to come to the rescue and it wasn’t an explosion but it was enough to get the job done with the replacement props, gifting Hanekom with the easiest of finishes. Marco van Staden was brilliant from the minute he replaced Siya Kolisi, while Ben-Jason Dixon and Cobus Wiese brought aggression, accuracy and much-needed physicality. Finally, Handre Pollard and Morne van den Berg added direction and better game management. Ultimately, the Bomb Squad saved the day. 8
READ MORE: Dave Rennie: Rassie Erasmus has done it for eight years, we’ve had two months