Player ratings: New Zealand
The All Blacks lost the Freedom Cup with the Springboks winning another tense Test 18-12 in Cape Town.
It was a close battle all the way through but the world champions showed their class when it counted once again, whereas the visitors wasted some chances.
Damian McKenzie had a chance to kick the All Blacks into the lead with less than 10 minutes to play but the playmaker sent the attempt wide left.
The Boks were too good and made the All Blacks pay for that with their efforts to conclude the Test.
Finn Morton rates the New Zealand players!
- Tamaiti Williams – 6
Credit to Tamaiti Williams, the All Blacks turned their scrum around and the youngster deserves some praise for that. New Zealand were outmuscled in the first three scrums but Williams showed some mental resilience to help turn the team’s fortunes around. But other than that, it was a bit of a quiet night for Williams. The loosehead prop didn’t carry the ball a whole lot – while he was more impactful on the defensive side of the ball, it wasn’t a standout performance in that regard compared to the rest of the All Blacks.
- Codie Taylor – 8
Codie Taylor was one of the All Blacks’ best during last weekend’s 31-27 loss at Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park, and that was once again the case in Cape Town. Taylor set the tone early with some significant carries – running for 36 metres before the 15-minute mark. The one-time World Cup winner came very close to scoring the opener as a result, too. Taylor left the field for a HIA midway through the opening 40, but after returning shortly after, the hooker didn’t skip a beat. The All Blacks enforcer was practically perfect throwing into the lineout, was solid on defence, and he also won a penalty at the breakdown in the 38th minute.
- Tyrel Lomax – 7
Tyrel Lomax is easily one of the best tighthead props in Test rugby at the moment. Lomax was quite brilliant during last weekend’s first Test against the Springboks and the front-rower was able to back that up at the Cape Town Stadium. Lomax gave away a scrum penalty early in the contest but, with the set-piece evening out a bit later on, the experienced tighthead deserves some praise for that. But away from the scrum, and without delving into Lomax’s influence in attack or around the breakdown, the All Black was especially impressive in defence once again – leading the way at half-time for tackles made. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Lomax was sent to the sin bin, under review, with seven minutes left – a massive moment in the context of this battle between two groups of titans.
- Scott Barrett (c) – 7
It was another hot and cold night for All Blacks captain Scott Barrett. New Zealand’s skipper didn’t carry the ball once throughout the opening 55 minutes of the Test, but he was able to secure a couple of turnovers and make some telling stops in defence. With about 10 minutes left to play, Barrett made one of the plays of the night by winning a lineout off the Springboks’ throw.
- Tupou Vaa’I – 7.5
The rapid improvement of Tupou Vaa’i in 2024 is one of the stories of the year for the All Blacks. At just 24 years of age, Vaa’i has emerged as a genuine leader within this All Blacks unit and it seems the lock has found a place in the starting side under Scott Roberton. Vaa’i seemed to have a presence about him during this Test in Cape Town. Whether it was in attack or defence, the second-rower used his big frame to the All Blacks’ advantage as they went toe-to-toe with the world champions. Great effort all around from Vaa’i.
- Wallace Sititi – 7.5
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Wallace Sititi it’s that the backrower is made for Test rugby. It was a bit of a surprise to see Sititi named at blindside flanker ahead of this clash with the Boks – he’s only played two professional matches in that position before, and both were for North Harbour – but the youngster proved to be a worthy replacement for Ethan Blackadder. Packing down opposite a Springboks back row of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese, Sititi didn’t back down to the challenge – the All Black embraced it. Sititi was one of the All Blacks’ top tacklers during the first term, and the No. 6 was also a workhorse in attack. Expect to see a lot more of Wallace Sititi in the All Blacks’ First XV moving forward.
- Sam Cane – 6
It was a quiet night for former All Blacks captain Sam Cane. Cane was sniping around the breakdown, as per usual, and was also busy around the park but the flanker wasn’t able to have a significant impact beyond some moments of brilliance. Cane won a penalty at the breakdown in the 24th minute. At that stage, the All Blacks were parked right up on their own try line but the back row forward was rewarded for some clever work. Now, the Test veteran wasn’t poor but rather outplayed during periods of the Test.
- Ardie Savea – 6
It was another unusually quiet night for All Blacks enforcer Ardie Savea. Savea, who is the reigning World Rugby Player of the Year, carried the ball a handful of times for less than 15 metres. On the defensive side of the ball, Savea was one of the All Blacks’ best with the backrower making a noteworthy 14 stops.
- Cortez Ratima – 6
This was always going to be a big Test for Cortez Ratima, When coach Scott Robertson named the All Blacks’ 23 on Thursday, Ratima had been given the nod at halfback – benching veteran TJ Perenara. In this fixture, Ratima failed to fire. Without breaking the game open like we’ve seen in Super Rugby Pacific, Ratima was steady with both his passing and kicking game. The halfback helped drive the team around the park with a mostly composed performance, and later, Ratima won a penalty at the breakdown. That said, it was by no means a standout performance – it was somewhere in the okay to good range.
- Damian McKenzie – 5
It’s hard to know where to start with Damian McKenzie’s performance. McKenzie led the team around the park well in spurts but it was nothing like last week – it seemed impossible for the flyhalf to establish a sense of consistency against the Springboks’ defensive wall. McKenzie sent a few wasteful clearance kicks into the air and also had an off night from the goal-kicking tee. The playmaker shanked an attempt from about 55 metres out at one stage, and also missed what very well could’ve been the game-winner with less than 10 minutes to play.
- Mark Tele’a – 4
As much as Mark Tele’a tried, it just wasn’t his night. Tele’a popped up all around the park but struggled to make an impact against the Springboks, with the winger only carrying the ball four times for 13 metres. There was one moment to forget about 10 minutes into the contest, with the All Blacks’ No. 11 dropping the ball cold into touch.
- Jordie Barrett – 7.5
Jordie Barrett was once again one of the All Blacks’ best with the ball. Barrett carried the ball a handful of times for more than 45 metres – once again reinforcing the point that the All Black is one of the best No. 12s in the world at the moment. As for Barrett’s kicking game, there were some involvements to like and some wasteful attempts as well. Overall, another strong performance from the All Blacks’ inside centre.
- Rieko Ioane – 7
Whether or not Rieko Ioane should play at centre or the wing for the All Blacks is still a question that needs to be revisited. Ioane was good in the midfield but took things to an even better level after switching to the left edge during the second term. On the wing, Ioane made a couple of impressive bursts with the ball.
- Sevu Reece – 3
With Beauden Barrett dropping back to the bench, there was an opportunity for Sevu Reece to start in the No. 14 this week. It’s no secret that Reece is an exciting player when he gets going, but the winger just wasn’t on song against the Boks in Cape Town. Reece was shown a yellow card in the 16th minute after taking out Willie le Roux in the air and the speedster never really recovered from there. The 27-year-old was beaten in the air a few times, missed some tackles, and seemed to be caught out of position once or twice, too.
- Will Jordan – 5
Will Jordan at fullback – it’s the selection All Blacks fans have been crying out for and coach Scott Robertson granted their wish on Thursday. Jordan was given the nod, and fans were rightfully eager to see what the 26-year-old could produce, and now we know. It was an off night for Jordan. The All Black has reached prolific try-scoring heights on the wing at Test level, but with the No. 15 on his back, he didn’t look like the same player at times.
Replacements
- Asafo Aumua – 6
- Ofa Tu’ungafasi – 5
- Fletcher Newell – N/A
- Sam Darry – N/A
- Luke Jacobson – 5
- TJ Perenara – 6
- Anton Lienert-Brown – 6.5
- Beauden Barrett – 5.5
Watch the exclusive reveal-all episode of Walk the Talk with Ardie Savea as he chats to Jim Hamilton about the RWC 2023 experience, life in Japan, playing for the All Blacks and what the future holds. Watch now for free on RugbyPass TV
