Player ratings: Building nicely
Everyone added to the performance and even the subs coming off the bench showed intent and made sure the French did not sneak any closer towards the end of the match.
Jeremy Papier rates the South African players!
15 Andries Coetzee:
Good early counter-attacking and good decision making. Gave the team some good positional advantage.
8/10
14 Raymond Rhule:
Good attacking lines and he worked tirelessly on defence. He got more involved in the game.
8/10
13 Lionel Mapoe:
Good performance by Mapoe. Not much opportunity on the ball, but he ran good lines at times.
8/10
12 Jan Serfontein:
Good start to the game and never took his foot off the pedal. Finished off an impressive team try. Strong defence in the midfield. It was a great effort
9/10
11 Courtnall Skosan:
Kept on looking for work. He displayed some brilliant handling skills at times and tirelessly chased down kicks.
8/10
10 Elton Jantjies:
Yet another impressive performance by the flyhalf. He controlled the game perfectly and made the right decisions at the right time. Good goal-kicking throughout the game
9/10
9 Ross Cronje:
Solid performance by Cronje. He made one or two errors but fixed it in no time. He controlled the game throughout his time on the field
8/10
8 Warren Whiteley:
Much more involved in the game. Worked hard on defence and found a few gaps when he ran with the ball. He also did some good work at the breakdowns.
8/10
7 Teboho Mohoje:
Replacement in the 13th minute due to injury. Not enough time to be rated.
6 Siyamthanda Kolisi:
What a performance by Kolisi. Relentless work on defence and attack. By far the most impressive player on the field on the day. It was a great all-round performance from the loose forward. What can one say? Work rate. Work rate. Work rate. Happy Birthday, mate.
10/10
5 Francois Mostert:
Again, leading the defensive charges with his lock partner. He had a few Good line-out balls and a few strong carries. Great effort
9/10
4 Eben Etzebeth:
Worked continuedly on and off the ball. Good performance by the big lock. Good aggression shown at times. Great effort
9/10
3 Frans Malherbe:
Good first half performance by the prop – involved in just about every aspect of the game. Picked up the pace in the second half and worked till he got replaced.
9/10
2 Malcolm Marx:
Picked up where he left off last week and showed again that he is an all-round hooker that can bring skill or physicality when needed.
9/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
Much better performance by SA’s most capped front-rower. Strong defensive work and a few carries. Scrumming improved after the first penalty.
7/10
Replacements:
16 Mbongeni Mbonambi (On for Marx, 74th min):
Not enough time to be rated
17 Steven Kitshoff (On for Mtawarira, 53rd min):
Added to a winning performance with his strong defence.
6/10
18 Coenraad Oosthuizen (On for Malherbe, 65th min):
Added to a winning performance with good defence and strong running. Good try as well.
6/10
19 Pieter-Steph Du Toit (On for Etzebeth, 65th min):
Added to a winning performance by bringing his work rate.
6/10
20 Jean-Luc du Preez (On for Mohoje, 13th min):
Immediately made an impact when he came on with his ball carrying, defensive work, good counter rucking and his hard work at the breakdowns.
6/10
21 Francois Hougaard (On for Cronje,65th min):
Added to a winning performance. Sped up the game the moment he stepped on the field.
6/10
22 Francois Steyn (On for Mapoe, 65th min):
Added to a winning performance.
6/10
23 Dillyn Leyds (On for Rhule, 78th min):
Not enough time to be rated
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Photo: Wayne Seagreen
