Player ratings: South Africa

OPINION: The Springboks suffered a 38-42 defeat to the Wallabies in a one-off Test in Perth on Sunday.

The result marks South Africa’s second defeat of the 2026 season, after the Springboks went down to the All Blacks in the opening Test of their four-match Greatest Rivalry series.

The loss to Australia provides plenty of talking points – particularly given the number of changes made to the starting XV. South Africa made 13 changes for the Perth Test as Rassie Erasmus looked to build squad depth.

Check out South Africa player ratings

15 Aphelele Fassi
The Sharks fullback returned to the starting line-up after missing the Greatest Rivalry against the All Blacks. He looked a little rusty, making a few unforced errors, including a forward pass to Ethan Hooker. He was also hot and cold in the aerial battle, with one mistake resulting in the Wallabies’ second try. However, he showed his attacking instincts and pace, having a hand in Edwill van der Merwe’s try. 4.5/10

14 Edwill van der Merwe
The winger scored an excellent team try in the first half and could’ve had a double but failed to collect the cross kick by Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. He was exposed defensively on a few occasions and was not heavily involved in the game, often waiting for opportunities to come his way. 5/10

13 Canan Moodie
Moodie showed that he is gradually maturing defensively, reading the defensive line well on a few occasions. On attack, he is livewire and was a powerful runner, showing great footwork to beat a defender and set the perfect platform for Edwill van der Merwe’s try.  Truly displayed great rugby IQ.  However, his hands let them down with crucial knock-ons which led to a Max Jorgenson try. 7/10

12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain)
The hybrid became the 68th player to captain the Springboks. It was a mixed bag for the centre/flanker. His physical approach led to some play being forced, while he was also caught out defensively in the first 40. In the second half, he was much better making some strong carries in the end finished with 12 carries. His pass was intercept by Tom Wright which could’ve been a try, fortunately for the skipper there was high tackle in the build-up. 6/10

11 Ethan Hooker
The winger came into the game off the back of an incredible Greatest Rivalry campaign and, while he is still inexperienced at international level, his work-rate was immense. He chased relentlessly and put Australia under pressure in the aerial battle. He also made two linebreaks.  7/10

10 Handre Pollard
Pollard missed touch in the opening minutes but bounced back with some great kicks from the tee, his highlight is kicking a penalty just inside the Wallabies’ half. But other than that, he did not steal the show. He struggled in defence and left the field in the 48th minute. 5/10

9 Herschel Jantjies
The scrumhalf executed his exits well, helping get his team out of trouble. He provided a steady presence but provided nothing extravagant. 4.5/10

8 Marco van Staden
Wearing the Springbok No.8 jersey for only the second time in his career, Van Staden struggled. It was not his best showing, with a penalty conceded. He completed 10 tackles, but on attack was absent – not the best from him. 5/10

7 Elrigh Louw
He worked hard around the field, completing the most tackles (15) in a Springbok jersey. Louw was penalised for kicking the ball out of the ruck in the second half.  6.5/10

6 Paul de Villiers
He keeps on grabbing his opportunity with both hands, literally. De Villiers won two crucial turnovers in the opening minutes, first inside the Boks’ 22 and then inside the Wallabies’ half. He continued to dominate at the breakdown in the second half, picking his moments to pounce with impressive precision. Certainly, one of the standouts in the green and gold. 8/10

5 Franco Mostert
His work-rate never disappoints and while it was not the best from the typically industrious performance Mostert, he still won two line-outs and completed nine tackles. 6/10

4 Eben Etzebeth
One of only two players to retain his starting spot, Etzebeth’s experience was enormous. The veteran set up a maul from the kick-off and put in the hard work throughout his time on the field. He disrupted Australia’s lineout.  He completed 12 tackles and won five line-outs. 7.5/10

3 Zachary Porthen
Nothing spectacular from the youngster, but there is plenty of potential. Porthen put in a few hard hits and showed glimpses of what he can offer before leaving the field. 5/10

2 Johan Grobbelaar
Grobbelaar found his jumpers in the first half, although things became a little more difficult after the break. He also scored his first Test try, finishing off the back of a powerful maul. He had big shoes to fill in the form of Malcolm Marx, but did not disappoint. He completed 12 tackles.  7/10

1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels
His set-piece was solid enough and showed that he can be an athletic for a prop, quick at the breakdown. 6/10

Replacements:

16 Malcolm Marx (on for Grobberlaar, 48th minute)
The hooker struggled initially to find his jumpers, putting his team under pressure. However, he made up for it at scrum time, playing a key role in the forward pack that won a penalty try. 7/10

17 Ox Nche (on for Wessels, 48th minute)
Made a big impact at scrum time, immediately adding pressure up front. He also made a difference with his strong carries and capped his performance with a try. 7.5/10

18 Wilco Louw (on for Porthern, 48th minute)
Just like his fellow front-row replacements, Louw made a massive impact at scrum time. The set piece looked significantly stronger with him on the field, while he also put in some big hits. 7/10

19 Lood de Jager (on for Mostert, 48th minute)
His first attempt as a jumper saw him knock the ball forward. He also conceded two turnovers, making it a difficult outing for the experienced lock. 5/10

20 Jasper Wiese (on for Van staden, 48th minute)
Not the way Wiese would have wanted to celebrate his 50th Test, but the replacement was part of a bench that made a solid impact. He put in some powerful carries and missed nothing from his seven tackles. 7/10

21 Morne van den Berg (on for Jantjies, 48th minute)
The scrumhalf injected some life into the Boks’ attack, dictating play well. He was held up over the line but showed his class and composure behind the rucks. His tackle on Taniela Tupou was a highlight. 7.5/10

22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (on for Pollard, 48th minute)
The flyhalf was constantly looking for work and trying to create a moment of magic but ultimately had little impact on the game. His game management was also under the spotlight and let him down, however he carried well and made a good line break. 6/10

23 Quan Horn (on for Fassie, 47th minie)
Like Fassi, Horn struggled in the aerial battle, with Jorgenson poaching an easy ball in the 55th minute. He was also outpaced by Jorgenson. Not the outing the fullback would have wanted. 5/10