Player Ratings: South Africa

OPINION: The Springboks suffered their first defeat of the Nations Championship after going down 19-21 to France in Paris on Friday evening.

In a drama-filled encounter featuring four yellow cards and a 20-minute red card, the hosts held on in the second half to claim their first victory over the reigning World Champions in Paris since 2005.

The defeat has complicated the Springboks’ hopes of winning the inaugural tournament, with their fate now partly dependent on the outcomes of New Zealand’s upcoming fixtures against Wales and England.

See below for the Springbok Player Ratings:

15 Damian Willemse
The Bok fullback had a few positive moments, but he struggled to make his usual impact in several areas of the game. He was not the aerial threat we have become accustomed to, nor could he produce his usual magic with the ball in hand. In the first half, he put up a high ball and chased it but failed to regain possession, allowing Antoine Dupont to find touch. A few phases later, Théo Attissogbe crossed the line for the hosts.
5.5/10

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse
Arendse struggled to make his mark on the game and was matched by French speedster Louis Bielle-Biarrey. He was often caught out of position when dealing with kicks in the backfield. He also had a try disallowed late in the first half.
5.5/10

13 Jesse Kriel
It was a strange game for Kriel, who only imposed himself on the game in the second half. Unlike his centre partner, he made just eight tackles in the opening stanza, and the French shut him down on attack. He had a couple of promising breaks in the second half.
6/10

12 Damian de Allende
He was kept busy defensively in the first half and rose to the challenge brilliantly, making more than 15 tackles. He came into his own with ball in hand after the break and showcased his strength and power as a ball-carrier. He caused the French defence plenty of problems whenever he got the opportunity to run at them.
7.5/10

11 Ethan Hooker
It was another impressive performance from Hooker, who appears to have found his feet in international rugby. The youngster was full of energy, chasing lost causes, putting in big hits and carrying hard into contact. His scramble defence was equally impressive, and he put his body on the line. He was undoubtedly one of the Springboks’ standout performers.
8/10

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a nervy start, and his clearance kicks lacked their usual accuracy. He did produce a sizzling line break late in the first half that almost resulted in a try, but those moments were few and far between. Compared to his outstanding display against Italy, this was a significant drop in standards. He just couldn’t impose himself on the French defence and dictate proceedings.
5/10

9 Morne van den Berg
After a slow start in the first half, Van den Berg came to his own a bit in the second half. He was eventually replaced by Cobus Reinach early in the second stanza.
5.5/10

8 Jasper Wiese
This will go down as one of Wiese’s poorest performances in a Springbok jersey. The physical threat and destructive ball-carrying we have come to expect from him were largely nullified, and he looked frustrated for much of the contest. His dangerous clean-out on Kalvin Gourgues, which earned him a yellow card [upgraded to a red card], perhaps summed up a difficult afternoon for him.
4/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
The Bok centurion was immense on defence as always. He did the small things that many don’t notice and gave the Boks go-forward each time he carried.
7.5/10

6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
The skipper was lively in the opening half, particularly in the wider channels, where he made valuable metres for the Boks. He was solid defensively and carried hard.
6.5/10

5 Ruan Nortje
It wasn’t the perfect performance from Nortje, but he was just a workhorse for the Boks. He did the basics well, and at some point, stole a French lineout, which was spelling danger for the Boks.
7/10

4 Lood de Jager
Similar to his performance against Italy, he just did the basics well, controlled the lineout and worked hard around the park. He was shown a yellow card in the first half for a hit on Maxime Lucu but returned and had a solid shift.
7/10

3 Thomas du Toit
He was solid in the scrums and covered the park well, but ultimately failed to make the impact Rassie Erasmus would have hoped for.
5/10

2 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
The young hooker made the most of his 35 minutes on the field before making way for Malcolm Marx. His lineout throwing was accurate, and he capped off a solid shift by scoring off the back of a rolling maul.
6/10

1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Considering he came on as a late change, Steenekamp delivered a decent cameo. He held his own in the scrums and played a part in the Springboks winning one of their scrum penalties in the first half.
5/10

Replacements:

16 Malcolm Marx (On for Jan-Hendrik Wessels)
He had a bit of an injury scare to his knee early in the second half but played on and had a good shift. His lineout throws were good, and he crashed over from the back of a rolling maul at a crucial time in the game.
7/10

17 Ox Nche (On for Gerhard Steenekamp)
Came on late in the first half and made an immediate impact in the scrums in the second half. The Boks won several scrum penalties as a result of his power.
6/10

18 Wilco Louwv (On for Thomas du Toit)
Similar to Ox, he contributed at scrum time, and his work off the ball was impressive.
6/10

19 Franco Mostert (On for Lood de Jager)
Mostert entered the field at a crucial time in the game, and marshalled the lineouts well.
6/10

20 Cameron Hanekom
He was one of the impressive substitutes, consistently looking for work, carrying hard and looking to gain metres for the Boks. A solid cameo for the Bulls player.
6/10

21 Paul de Villiers (On for Siya Kolisi)
He tried to have a bit of impact on the game with his jackling skills, but the French gave him no chances. He was lively around the park, tried to get into battles, and made his presence felt.
6/10

22 Cobus Reinach (On for Morne van den Berg)
He increased the speed of the game when he came on for Morne van den Berg and scored a crucial try for the Boks just after the 50th-minute mark.
6.5/10

23 Manie Libbok (On for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu)
Unfortunately for Libbok, what will be remembered of him from this game is the conversion he missed late on which could have tied the scores at 21-21. Apart from that, he didn’t have the impact he would have liked to have.
5/10