Player ratings: South Africa

OPINION: The Springboks defeated an inexperienced Italian outfit by 42-24 at Loftus Versfeld despite many expecting the hosts to blow the Azzurri off the park.

The Boks will be satisfied with the win but not their overall performance, especially in the second half, where they were scrappy and inaccurate at times.

Their game unravelled following a host of second-half replacements, which usually is a strength of the South Africans.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus would arguably have a few more questions than answers from the overall team performance, but there were many shining lights on a personal front for many players.

Angus Opperman rates the Springboks:

1. Ox Nche – 7.5/10
Strong scrummaging performance alongside his fellow front-row partners. Did well in loose play as well. Got penalized for obstruction that led to Willemse’s linebreak and Tshituka’s chalked off try.

2. Malcolm Marx – 7/10
Missed one line-out throw, but had a solid performance overall. Missed a defensive read that opened the door for Italy’s first try.

3. Wilco Louw – 7/10
Ate his opposition for breakfast at scrum time and showed why he was the cornerstone of the Bulls’ scrum success during the United Rugby Championship. Did well defensively and had a solid work-rate around the park.

4. Eben Etzebeth – 8.5/10
Charged down an early clearance kick by Italy scrumhalf Fusco. Worked hard in chasing kicks and claiming possession back from contestable balls. Made life difficult at the line-outs and breakdown for the Italians at times. Conceded a penalty that led to Italy’s first try.

5. Lood de Jager – 7.5/10
Fielded restarts well and did well at set-piece. Was solid in general play and showed that he still has loads to offer in the green and gold after a long injury lay-off.

6. Marco van Staden – 6.5/10
Carried strongly and was solid defensively. Didn’t have many opportunities to carry but didn’t do anything wrong. Scored a try to give the Boks more breathing space after Italy’s comeback.

7. Vincent Tshituka – 8/10
Had a solid outing, winning all but one of his line-out balls on his official debut. Conceded a penalty for offside in the first half, which led to Italy’s first points and ran good support lines alongside the backs. Worked hard throughout the match and showed that he is comfortable at Test level.

8. Jasper Wiese – 8.5
Made life difficult for defenders as per usual with his strong runs and carries to get the Boks over the advantage line. Fielded all restarts successfully and showed no signs of slowing down throughout the match.

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9. Mornè van den Berg – 9.5/10 
Nailed most of his contestable kicks. Made one or two errors, but kept the tempo of the match flowing and got his backs on the front foot. Scored a try off the base of a strong Bok scrum and another through individual effort moments before half-time. Controlled the game like an experienced Test international.

10. Handré Pollard – 8/10
Dictated the play well in tandem with Van den Berg. Kicked well out of the hand and slotted all his kicks at goal. Knocked-on a clearance kick early in the match but got his team’s attacking flowing most of the time.

11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 8/10
Worked hard in kick-chases but knocked on a few contestable balls he could’ve grabbed. Ran a Beautiful line to beat three Italian defenders to extend the Boks’ lead. Also made a stunning try-saving tackle on Alessandro Garbisi.

12. Damian de Allende – 8/10
Showed great vision to execute a grubber kick for Jesse Kriel’s opening try of the match. Carried strong and worked his outside backs into space and showed variation in his play. Squandered a try-scoring opportunity in the 14th minute but had a solid outing overall.

13. Jesse Kriel – 7.5/10
Defended and attacked strongly. His debut as captain didn’t compromise his game. Showed great vision to read De Allende’s grubber kick to score the opening try. Worked hard throughout the 80 minutes.

14. Cheslin Kolbe – 8/10
Didn’t get much opportunity with the ball in hand and was closed down by the Italian defence, but worked hard off the ball and kept the Italian defenders busy. Alsp worked hard to get back and cover space when required.

15. Damian Willemse – 7.5/10 
Solid under the high ball and kept defenders guessing with his footwork during the first half and continued his antics in the second stanza. Also showed his versatility once again shifting to inside centre when Willie le Roux replaced Damian de Allende.

Replacements 

16. Bongi Mbonambi (Replaced Malcolm Marx in the 48th minute) – 5/10
Missed three of his line-out throws when he came on and looked rusty overall.  Had a below-par performance in general.

17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Replaced Ox Nche in the 48th minute) – 6.5/10
Showed a strong performance in set-piece and open play. Did his basics well and worked hard on defence.

18. Vincent Koch (replaced Wilco Louw in the 48th minute) – 7/10
Scored moments after coming on to stretch the Boks’ lead back to 25 points. Showed a strong scrummaging performance alongside his fellow front-row replacements.

19. RG Snyman (Replaced Eben Etzebeth in the 48th minute) – 7/10
Got stuck in immediately, and his trademark offload in the build-up led to Vincent Koch’s try in the second half. Worked hard across the pitch on attack and defensively and was a handful for the opposition to contain.

20. Franco Mostert (Replaced Lood de Jager in 48th minute) – 6.5/10
A workhorse defensively as always. Didn’t have much opportunity to get the ball in hand, but did his primary roles well.

21. Kwagga Smith – (replaced Jasper Wiese in the 54th minute) – 7.5/10
Showed aggression on defence and took a quick tap free kick that led to Marco van Staden’s try. Was a menace in the face of the Italians around the breakdown area and did well in loose play.

22. Faf de Klerk – (replaced Morne van den Berg in the 54th minute) – 7.5
A burst of energy and showed his class and experience with accurate kicking and good decision-making on attack and defence.

23. Willie le Roux – (replaced Damian de Allende in the 62nd minute) – N/A
Not enough time to be rated.

*Picture credit: Johan Orton