Player ratings: Hanging on

OPINION: South Africa had to hang on for their 26-20 win over Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday.

It was a win based on guts and hard work, but there is plenty of room for improvement.

Jan de Koning rates the South African players!

15 Willie le Roux:
Started with a knock-on in his first move and then got yellow card early in the second half, but produced some great defensive work and accurate tactical kicking.
6/10

14 Sibusiso Nkosi:
Not too many chances with the ball in hand and was exposed on defence on occasion.
5/10

13 Jesse Kriel:
He was blunt force with ball in hand and made most of his tackles.
5/10

12 Damian de Allende:
He has become a one-trick pony – brute force only. If it wasn’t for a couple of crucial turnovers, it would have been a forgettable performance.
6/10

11 Aphiwe Dyantyi:
Like many of his teammates, had some good moments interspersed with shockers.
6/10

10 Handré Pollard:
A really up-and-down game – good moments with the ball in hand, playing a massive role in both Bok tries, but interspersed with really sloppy play and some shocking kicking at goal.
6/10

9 Embrose Papier:
He can be satisfied with his starting debut, even if his kicking game let his team down.
6/10

8 Duane Vermeulen:
His workrate on defence and at the breakdown was phenomenal – winning three crucial turnovers and making plenty of tackles.
9/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit:
As you have come to expect, he was one of the most productive players on the park – carry the ball, taking his tackle count into double figures and working hard off the ball.
8/10

6 Siya Kolisi (captain):
Was his best game for the Bok this year. Won a number of turnovers, produced good cover defence and made heaps of tackles.
7/10

5 Franco Mostert:
Doing the hard yards in the close-in exchanges and made second-most tackles in the match.
7/10

4 Rudolph Snyman:
Not the finished product yet, but is growing into his Bok role and enjoyed the opportunity to start. His work on defence was outstanding.
6/10

3 Frans Malherbe:
He looks like a tired player – doing nothing but scrum and make a handful of tackles.
4/10

2 Malcolm Marx:
His line-outs remain and issues and while his workrate is good, he is now also beginning to miss tackles.
5/10

1 Steven Kitshoff:
Conceded a string of first-half penalties, but his scrumming was impressive and his ball-carrying also good.
6/10

Replacements:

16 Mbongeni Mbonambi (on for Marx, 66th min):
Mr Reliable. He did not get a lot of time, but showed it would not be a bad idea to give him a start.
6/10

17 Thomas du Toit (on for Kitshoff, 58th min):
Won a crucial turnover and was solid in the scrums.
6/10

18 Vincent Koch (on for Malherbe, 58th min):
Outside of the scrums, he contributed very little.
5/10

19 Lodewyk de Jager (on for Snyman, 60th min):
His workrate needs improving, but at times he showed glimpses of his old form.
5/10

20 Francois Louw (on for Kolisi, 68th min):
Not enough time to be rated.

21 Ivan van Zyl (on for Papier, 78th min):
Not enough time to be rated.

22 Elton Jantjies (on for de Allende, 56th min):
He has become a valuable asset off the bench – taking on the defensive line and making some great clearance kicks.
6/10

23 Cheslin Kolbe (on for Nkosi, 64th min):
Only had a couple of runs in his short stay. One really impressive run.
6/10

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