Springboks v All Blacks: Winners and losers as South Africa win ‘in spite of’ chaotic Rassie Erasmus as star forwards have bruising ‘duel’
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus and All Blacks fly-half Ruben Love.
Following a 33-26 victory for the Springboks over the All Blacks at DHL Stadium on Saturday, here are our winners and losers from the second Greatest Rivalry Test.
Winners
Fabian Holland
It was a big call for Dave Rennie to back him after so long out, but Holland just keeps getting better and better. The big lock more than matched the Springboks physically and also displayed his deft handling skills for Leroy Carter’s try.
Eben Etzebeth is probably the best lock in the world but, on this evidence the Dutch-born Highlander is up there with him. Pretty much excellent in every facet as he did everything he could to turn the tide.
Eben Etzebeth
On the topic of the big South African, he also had a fine game as his duel against Holland proved to be one of the highlights of the game. Just like the All Black, Etzebeth has struggled with injury over recent times, but he looked back to his best here.
The record cap holder had good success on the visitors’ lineout ball while he was an absolute workhorse around the field and physical in the close exchanges as the Boks controlled that forward battle for the majority of the match.
Pieter-Steph du Toit
A special day was made extra special for this Springbok great as he celebrated his 100th cap with a much-needed victory that ties this series up at one apiece.
It was a typical Du Toit performance too as he put himself about all game, proving once again just what an important cog he is in this green and gold wheel.
Siya Kolisi
An impressive first game back after injury from the Springboks skipper as he celebrated his return with a first-half try when he barged over from close range.
South Africa have missed his inspirational leadership and that was evident last week at Ellis Park. Rassie Erasmus decided to wrap him in cotton wool just two minutes into the second period, which shows how important he is going into the business end of this series.
George Bower
In this section for the second week running after putting in another fine shift at the coalface. While there might have been a few more sly tricks from the All Blacks, with the scrum regularly collapsing on their ball, Bower held his own in the set-piece and didn’t let the Springboks dominate.
He also put in a big effort around the field, including one stunningly dextrous pass which sent Simon Parker galloping through a hole. The Crusaders loosehead has certainly proven his worth at Test level over the past couple of games.
Malcolm Marx
Talk about impact. Marx has been a consistent starter for the Springboks in recent times but a last-minute change of plan today saw him move to bench duty. Boy was it a smart move in the end as his emergence just before half-time provided so much to his team-mates.
He was a rock at the breakdown – winning two penalties on the ground – and put himself about in all other departments. One of the players of the match today no doubt.
Middle of the road
Rassie Erasmus
The result would suggest that he got it right but, let’s be honest, these past two weeks have been a bit of a mess from the Springboks. Erasmus has often stated that their policy is if players can’t train on Monday they aren’t available and yet that has not been the case in this series.
Last week, they delayed their team announcement until Thursday in order to give Kolisi as much time as possible to be ready for the opening Test and then it was not certain if he would play on Saturday with Paul de Villiers set to start should the skipper not get through Tuesday’s session.
That wasn’t the end to the team selection saga with Handre Pollard suffering an injury and then Cheslin Kolbe making a sudden return on Friday after not being named in the initial 23. A day later and it got even more bizarre as the Boks switched their whole front-row just a few hours before the game.
Those defending the Springboks and their head coach will say the scoreline is proof that he had everything under control and in some ways it is hard to argue with that, but on this occasion, it feels like the team won in spite of the chaos, not because of it.
Losers
Ruben Love
Has started his Test career rather well but the clash in Cape Town was his first proper setback in the fly-half role. Love must be credited for his response in the final quarter where he finally took command of the game, but for the first hour the fly-half made a number of errors.
At the moment, Jordie Barrett and Cam Roigard are the generals in the backline, with Love more of a facilitator in the French mould, but you wonder whether Rennie would like to see more conviction from the 25-year-old.
The way Richie Mo’unga played against the Lions was in stark contrast to how the younger playmaker has operated as everything went through the 32-year-old. While it wasn’t perfect, Mo’unga was taking on responsibility, challenging the line and looking to make things happen. His shadow is looming and there may well be an awkward conversation between the coaches coming.
Codie Taylor
An uncharacteristic bad day at the office for the All Blacks hooker as he struggled at the lineout, being picked off on several occasions as South Africa put the squeeze on his throw.
While New Zealand rectified the scrum issues they had at Ellis Park in the opening Test, the problem is now the lineout that must be fixed by next Saturday.
Jason Ryan
In a similar vein, Ryan will have plenty of homework to get through from this defeat as once again the set-piece will cause him a few sleepless nights. The forwards coach, who has been part of the set-up since 2022 and already survived two head coaches, is considered one of the best around, but the scrum has been on the decline for the past 12 months.
While the All Blacks did not make it much of a factor in the Cape Town clash, they were still creaking in the second period and the problem has still not been solved. Equally, the defensive maul also needs work with the first Springboks try starting from a drive which had the visitors going into reverse.
Josh Moorby
The only player of all 46 involved in Saturday’s encounter not to get any game time. Moorby started the opening Test but struggled, getting brushed aside by Andre Esterhuizen for the hybrid player’s try and faltering under the high ball.
He was duly replaced in the starting XV by Carter and with the Chiefs man enjoying a decent evening, which included an outstanding finish, Moorby did not have an opportunity to make an impact on the second Test.
Damian Willemse
Came off at half-time, with Manie Libbok his replacement, and Erasmus has revealed that the full-back has injured his hamstring and will miss the third Test at the very least. Quite how severe the problem is will be known in due course, but it is a huge shame for Willemse, who was enjoying an excellent 2026 Test season.
READ MORE: Springboks v All Blacks, LIVE BLOG: Relive our coverage of the Greatest Rivalry Test in Cape Town