Player Ratings - South Africa

OPINION: A rusty Springbok side had too much firepower for Wales at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.

Rassie Erasmus’ side scored five tries on their way to a 41-13 victory ahead of their two-Test series against Ireland in July.

Check out the player ratings below:

15 Aphelele Fassi
He was faultless under the high balls and he was also a threat on attack. He joined the attacking line to contribute to the opening try and he did it again for Makazole Mapimpi’s try at the start of the second half. He got a yellow card in the 30th minute for catching a Welsh player with his boot, but it was a great performance.
8.5/10

14 Edwill van der Merwe
It was an exceptional performance on his debut. He showed great speed and elusiveness to score a try in the second half. He produced a great double tackle in the 22nd minute to save his team after Jordan Hendrikse Hendrikse threw an intercept pass.
9/10

13 Jesse Kriel
After some great interplay with Mapimpi, he scored the opening try of the game. He also provided a try assist for Mapimpi in the second half. Once again, he was a defensive leader in the backline.
7/10

12 Andre Esterhuizen
It was a fairly quiet outing for the big man. He didn’t get a lot of opportunities to take the ball into contact where he could be effective. He was also solid on defence.
4.5/10

11 Makazole Mapimpi
He produced a try assist for the opening score before showing his speed to score a try of his own in the opening stages of the second half. He certainly kept Wales on their toes when he had the ball.
6.5/10

10 Jordan Hendrikse
The young man didn’t shy away from the physicality, especially on defence. He missed his first shot at goal before showing great awareness on attack in the build-up for the first try. There were mistakes in open play like throwing an intercept pass in the 22nd minute when he was under pressure and kicking the ball straight into touch from one of the restarts.
5/10

9 Faf de Klerk
He conceded a couple of turnovers, but he threatened the Welsh defence on a few occasions with sniping runs. He showed great vision to put Evan Roos into space in the 11th minute, which nearly led to a try.
6/10

8 Evan Roos
When he left the field in the 54th minute, he was the Boks’ leading ball carrier and he made some serious metres (78). He produced a barnstorming run in the 11th minute after he was put into space by De Klerk. He also produced a deliberate knock-on in the 34th minute, which led to three points for Wales.
7/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain)
The Malmesbury missile led from the front with some great carries and big hits on defence. He was one of those players who just attracted the Welsh defenders in the midfield, which allowed the outside backs to get some more space to work with.
7/10

6 Kwagga Smith
Another robust performance by the livewire flank and he made his presence felt at the breakdowns once again. However, he gave away several penalties as well, which could be costly against tougher opponents like Ireland in July.
7/10

5 Franco Mostert
A key figure in the line-outs, mauls and defence, but he was one of those players that looked like he needed to shake off the rust. He always brings physicality and that is something his teammates thrive on.
6.5/10

4 Eben Etzebeth
The Welsh did well to contain him while he was on the field. He got a couple of runs where he made some metres and he stole a line-out ball. However, that led to a try for Wales after some sloppy play by his teammates. He was aggressive as always on defence.
6.5/10

3 Vincent Koch
He put his opponent under pressure at scrum time and that was really his main job while he was on the field. He didn’t get many opportunities with ball in hand.
7/10

2 Malcolm Marx
It was his first game in a long time and there was a bit of rust, particularly with some of his line-out throwing. He missed his mark in that area on a couple of occasions. However, he was part of a powerful front-row performance before he left the field in the 46th minute.
5.5/10

1 Ox Nche
A huge shift on defence and he was a monster in the scrums. The big man absolutely dominated his scrumming opponents.
8/10

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (On for Marx, 46th min)
The line-outs seemed more secure after he arrived on the field and he is such an important cog when it comes to the Boks’ driving maul. He also scored a try from that.
7/10

17 Ntuthuko Mchunu (On for Nche, 68th min)
Not enough time to be rated.

18 Frans Malherbe (On for Kock, 46th min)
You could see the fear in the Welsh front row’s eyes when he made his way to the field. He dominated in the scrums and he also put in some big defensive hits.
7/10

19 Salmaan Moerat (On for Etzebeth, 62nd min)

He can be proud of the shift he put in during the final quarter, especially with some big tackles and the power he showed in the tight exchanges.
6.5/10

20 Ben-Jason Dixon (On for Roos, 54th min)
Most of his work came in the defensive game. It was a good introduction to Test rugby.
6/10

21 Grant Williams (On for De Klerk, 53rd min)
Wales closed the space around him quite quickly when he had the ball, but his service to his backline was good. He also made some good decisions in the final quarter.
6.5/10

22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (on or Hendrikse, 60th min)
The Springboks’ attack looked much better when he came onto the field and his introduction to Test rugby was highlighted by a great long-range penalty kick.
7/10

23 Damian de Allende (on for Esterhuizen, 57th min)
South Africa’s attack just had an extra layer when he was on the field. His big frame made the Welsh defenders work and he produced a great turnover at the breakdown in the final quarter to show his versatility.
7.5/10

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