Player Ratings: Signs of progress
OPINION: The Springboks got their Rugby Championship campaign off to a winning start when they beat Argentina 34-21 in Durban.
Warren Fortune rates the South African players!
15 Willie le Roux:
A constant threat on attack and a better flyhalf than Handre Pollard. His pin-point kick for Aphiwe Dyantyi’s first try was outstanding.
8/10
14 Makazole Mapimpi:
He made great use of the space he was given out wide and he scored two tries in the win. He notched up more running metres than anyone else in his team.
8/10
13 Lukhanyo Am:
He defended well and showed his strength in the tackle, especially for his try. However, he is just a bit predictable in his channel on attack.
6/10
12 André Esterhuizen:
He was tasked with absorbing as much defenders as possible when he crashed the ball up and he felt comfortable with his Sharks teammate outside him.
6.5/10
11 Aphiwe Dyantyi:
His finishing was impeccable, and he just showed some great awareness for the play around him. Another two tries for the speedster as well.
8.5/10
10 Handré Pollard:
He has a very poor game. He looked predictable with ball in hand and his kicking game was not up to standard. His distribution was shocking at times.
4/10
9 Faf de Klerk:
He improved tremendously as the game went on. He kept Argentina’s defence guessing and he had a hand in two of his team’s tries and he scored one himself.
8/10
8 Warren Whiteley:
It was a bit of a mix bag from the No.8. He could have helped a bit more at the breakdowns, but his defence was good.
5/10
7 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain):
He seemed to go missing for large periods. However, he was aggressive on defence and he got his team over the gain line with some nice carries.
6/10
6 Francois Louw:
He looked a bit lethargic on the field, but he was a threat at the breakdowns and he did his part on defence.
6/10
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit:
An absolute monster on defence. He made more tackles than anyone else on the field and never missed one.
7.5/10
4 Eben Etzebeth:
It was his first game back from a long injury lay-off and he was immense in open play. He carried the ball more than anyone else in his team and he made some serious metres.
9/10
3 Frans Malherbe:
He was strong in the scrums, but we didn’t see too much of him in open play.
6/10
2 Malcolm Marx:
He was outstanding at the breakdowns where he won several turnovers. However, his line-out throwing was shocking on a few occasions in the strike zone.
7/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
He was a Beast in the scrums and showed incredible power in the tackle.
7/10
Replacements:
16 Bongi Mbonambi (On for Malcolm Marx, 65th min)
Not enough time to be rated.
17 Steven Kitshoff (On for Tendai Mtawarira, 52nd min)
He had some good carries and he gave his pack a bit of power up front.
6/10
18 Thomas du Toit (On for Frans Malherbe, 58th min)
He brought some great energy up front. He put in a few good tackles and won a turnover.
6/10
19 Marvin Orie
Not used.
20 Marco van Staden (On for Francios Louw, 60th min)
It was a good cameo from the new cap and he ended the match with a nice turnover.
5/10
21 Embrose Papier (On for Aphiwe Dyantyi, 74th min)
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Lionel Mapoe (On for Lukhanyo Am, 73rd min)
Not enough time to be rated.
23 Damian Willemse (On for Andre Esterhuizen, 63rd min)
He didn’t get much opportunity to show what he can do.
5/10
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