Player Ratings: South Africa

OPINION: The Springboks displayed a polished performance to down the All Blacks 33-26 in the second Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Boks bounced back by scoring three tries in the first half, but it was Cheslin Kolbe’s 18-point haul with the boot that eventually sealed the win for Rassie Erasmus’s men.

The series is tied at 1-1 heading into the third Test in Soweto next week.

Several players impressed on the day, while others blew hot and cold. Check out the Springboks’ rating:

15. Damian Willemse

He took some time to get into the game but did a brilliant job in reading the All Blacks’ kicks in the backfield. He was good in the air but didn’t return after halftime after sustaining an injury. Manie Libbok replaced him.
5/10

14 Cheslin Kolbe

Kolbe was entrusted with the boot for a second week running, and he didn’t disappoint. He was pinpoint accurate, slotting over three conversions and four penalties. He contested the aerial battle well and broke down a dangerous play by the All Blacks which could have resulted in a try. He was named man of the match.
8/10

13 Jesse Kriel

After playing on the wing for the majority of the first Test, Kriel was a man on a mission in Cape Town. He opened the scoring in the second minute on the back of some quick play by the Boks. Overall, he was immense defensively and put the visitors under pressure.
7/10

12 Damian de Allende

Similar to his centre partner, De Allende was a man on a mission and played his socks off. He scored one of the tries, but what was impressive was how direct he carried, using his power and leg drive in the tackle. He ended the game with nine carries and 16 tackles. A case for man of the match can be made for him.
9/10

11 Ethan Hooker

It was a very weird outing for Hooker, who didn’t have much to do outside of chasing contestable kicks. He misread play in the first half, and that lapse of concentration led to one of the All Blacks’ tries. He had a break in the second, but it didn’t lead to any points. He will learn a lot from the outing.
5.5/10

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

The Boks didn’t need much from Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who had an improved performance from the first Test. The young flyhalf did the basics well, nothing fancy, even though he was caught napping when he switched to fullback for parts of the second half. With the kicking duties taken away from him, he didn’t offer much.
6/10

9 Cobus Reinach

Reinach did his job as a scrumhalf. He was quick to the base of the ruck, distributed well, and kept the game flowing for the Boks. He finished with nine carries and five tackles, and Morne van den Berg replaced him in the second half.
7/10

8 Jasper Wiese

The 30-year-old was a menace for the All Blacks in the first Test at Ellis Park, but it was much harder to dominate this week. The All Blacks had a plan for him and at times were double tackling him. However, he was strong with his carries and gave the Boks go-forward momentum.
7/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
He didn’t let the occasion of playing his 100th Test overwhelm him. Du Toit continued to do what he does best, being ruthless in defence and making strong metres with ball in hand. It was not his best performance in green and gold, but he certainly maintained his standards.
7/10

6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
Much of the talk during the week was how the Boks missed Kolisi in the first Test, and he proved just why. The skipper played a massive role leading up to the first try by Jesse Kriel. He was hitting the rucks with brute force and capped off his performance by scoring his 15th Test try. One of the highlights will be that massive tackle on Ardie Savea. He left the field early in the second half.
8/10

5 Ruan Nortje
He was a man on a mission, particularly in the early stages of the first half. He controlled the lineouts well, carried hard and made some good metres with ball in hand. Nortje was strong defensively, throwing his body into tackles.
8/10

4 Eben Etzebeth
The most capped Springbok player of all time had a good game. He was decent during lineout time and did a fairly good job when he was on lifting duty. He made 18 tackles and disrupted the All Blacks’ lineouts multiple times. He wasn’t quite the enforcer we’ve become accustomed to in the past with ball in hand, but it looks like he’s gaining some momentum.

3 Thomas du Toit
Thomas du Toit was probably the best-performing prop out there on the night. He played well over 50 minutes, and although he didn’t dominate during scrum time, he was present in defence and attack. He ended the game with 12 tackles.
7/10

2 Deon Fourie
The 39-year-old was hooked off late in the first and made way for Malcolm Marx. He was accurate with his lineout throws and picked up some scraps along the way. He ended the game with six carries, proving that age is just a number.
6/10

1 Gerhard Steenekamp
After being thrust into the starting lineup in place of Ox Nche, Steenekamp didn’t quite have the desired impact. That’s because the Boks didn’t win a single scrum penalty in the first half until the substitutions were made in the 35th minute. He will feel he didn’t quite grab his opportunity to make a mark.
5/10

Replacements:

16 Malcolm Marx (On for Fourie in 35th minute)

Marx had a massive impact on the game. He was part of the scrum that won the Boks’ first scrum penalty, In the second half, he won two turnovers on the ground which helped the Boks extend their lead.
7/10

17 Ox Nche (On for Steenekamp in 35th minute)

He was playing his 50th Test for the green and gold and had a fairly decent outing. Nche won a scrum penalty but didn’t contribute much apart from that.
4/10

18 Wilco Louw (On for Du Toit in 56th minute)
Came on the game late and didn’t have much of an impact.
3/10

19 Lood de Jager (On for Nortje in 67th minute)
Not enough time to be rated

20 Andre Esterhuizen (On for Kolisi in 42nd minute)

He made a case for himself in the flanker position. I thought he carried well, hit the rucks with some power and made his presence felt. The hybrid move is clearly paying off.
5.5/10

21. Cameron Hanekom (On for Wiese in 67th minute)
Not enough time to be rated

22. Morne van den Berg (On for Reinach in 57th minute)

Krappies had a decent cameo after taking over from Cobus Reinach. His kicks were good, and he tried to maintain the tempo of the game. He’ll hope to get more match minutes in the future.
6/10

23. Manie Libbok (On for Willemse at halftime)

It was a decent outing for Libbok who came on straight after halftime for Damian Willemse. He was shifting between flyhalf and fullback at times and would’ve wanted to settle in one position. Nonetheless, he did the basics well but misread some plays which aided the All Blacks.
5.5/10