Player Ratings: New Zealand

OPINION: The All Blacks just couldn’t match the Springboks’ intensity at crucial stages in the final Test of the Greatest Rivalry series in Baltimore.

Dave Rennie’s side lost the encounter 28-43, which means they will head back to New Zealand with only one Test victory out of four in the series.

See the Player Ratings below:

15 Damian McKenzie
The fullback produced a much better performance on attack this week. He joined the attacking line on a number of occasions, and he was rewarded by scoring the first try of the game. With tired legs on the field in the second half, he proved to be a lethal runner. However, there were some execution issues once again.
7/10

14 Will Jordan
The Boks kept a close eye on him, but he still had some influential moments on attack. There was a great looping run in the build-up to his first try, and then he got one of his own after running off his wing to finish off his side’s 32 phases.
7/10

13 Anton Lienert-Brown
Most of his work was on defence, and it seemed his attacking game was lacking out there. He left the field before half-time with a leg injury.
5/10

12 Jordie Barrett
More often than not, he looked like the real playmaker on the field for the All Blacks. The veteran provided an assist for Will Jordan’s try in the first half, and he troubled the Boks with some direct running.
7/10

11 Josh Moorby
The speedster had a few opportunities on attack, but the execution wasn’t always there. There were some defenders beaten, but he never really got going.
6/10

10 Richie Mo’unga
The playmaker had better performances in the back jersey in the past. While there were some dangerous moments on attack, he just didn’t dictate play, and his decision-making could have been better.
6/10

9 Cam Roigard
The scrumhalf showed some great variation in his game on attack. He showed vision for the final pass to Codie Taylor for the first try, and more often than not he produced the right pass.
8/10

8 Peter Lakai
If you give him a bit of space around the fringes he will punish you, and there were some big runs out there. He was definitely the leading ball carrier for his team, and he made some serious metres.
7.5/10

7 Ethan Blackadder
His work rate was incredible, and maybe he should’ve been involved in the previous Tests. He made more tackles than anyone on the field, and he tested the Boks’ defence on a few occasions. Blackadder also scored a well-deserved try.
8/10

6 Tupou Vaa’i
The versatile forward was involved in the back row and second row in this game, and it was a bit of a mixed bag. He won a turnover when his team was under pressure in the 27th minute. However, he gave away a soft penalty in the 67th minute when his team had the ball. There were some nice touches in open play.
6/10

5 Sam Darry
He was the go-to man in most of the line-outs, and he did his job well. However, there was some poor defending which allowed Morne van den Berg to snipe through for a try. He just doesn’t bring that fear factor in the second row, and he hardly gets his team over the gainline.
5/10

4 Patrick Tuipulotu
There was some slick handling from the second rower in the build-up to the first try, and he made himself busy with some big defending. When it comes to carries and momentum, this is an area where he needs to provide more.
6.5/10

3 Fletcher Newell
He wasn’t bullied in the scrums, which is a good thing, but his involvement in the overall game was lacking a bit.
5.5/10

2 Codie Taylor (captain)
Had some issues with his brake foot in the scrum, which led to a free kick and penalty. However, he led by example in open play with several strong carries, and he scored a try. He looked like he was in a war zone out there.
6.5/10

1 Ethan de Groot
The scrums were fairly stable until he gave away a scrum penalty in the 48th minute after Thomas du Toit was introduced. There were a few strong tackles and a few carries.
5.5/10

Replacements:

16 Asafo Aumua (On for Codie Taylor)
There was some aggression on defence, but he couldn’t match the impact Codie Taylor had in open play.
5/10

17 Xavier Numia (on for Ethan de Groot)
Crumbled in a scrum, which was the start of an attack that led to Pieter-Steph du Toit’s try in the second half. There was just no real momentum to work with.
4/10

18 Tyrel Lomax (On for Fletcher Newell)
He tried his best, especially in the scrums, but his team were on the back foot when he came on.
5/10

19 Josh Lord (On for Sam Darry)
The All Blacks needed some physicality and aggression in the pack in the second half, and it just never came from him
5/10

20 Wallace Sititi (On for Peter Lakai/Patrick Tuipulotu)
He had a spell in the first half when Lakai went off for an HIA. There were some strong carries. He returned in the second half and brought some energy and physicality.
6.5/10

21 Kyle Preston (On for Cam Roigard)
Not enough time to be rated.

22 Rieko Ioane (on for Anton Lienert-Brown)
He came on just before half-time for the injured Lienert-Brown, and it never looked like he could get out of second gear. In fact, the backline looked a bit disjointed with him in there, and the Boks exploited that.
5/10

23 Beauden Barrett
Scored a try, but not enough time to be rated.