Player Ratings: Growing pains
A few of the new faces in the squad impressed with their performances. However, there were several areas where the Boks struggled in as well.
Warren Fortune rates the South African players!
15 Jesse Kriel:
He had a few good runs but was not too effective. He was also replaced quite early.
5/10
14 Sergeal Petersen:
The youngster was shocking on defence with Taqele Naiyaravoro running through him a few times. However, he did show what he could do when he is given some space.
4/10
13 Francois Venter:
He did a lot of things right and a few things wrong in the midfield. He also scored one of his team's five tries.
6/10
12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg:
He took his opportunity with both hands. He crashed through the Barbarians defence on a few occasions and showed a clean pair of heels for such a big man. However, he did miss a few tackles.
710
11 Jamba Ulengo:
The Blue Bulls wing impressed with his power and pace. He beat a few defenders and was physical in the tackle as well.
7/10
10 Patrick Lambie (captain):
He took some time to get into the game. He seemed to play in slow motion in the first half, but he upped his tempo during his team's fightback in the second half.
5/10
9 Rudy Paige:
It was a solid performance from the scrumhalf. He started the game well and his distribution was good as well.
6/10
8 Nizaam Carr:
He did a lot of good things. He carried the ball with intensity and tackled well.
7/10
7 Teboho Mohoje:
Had a few carries, but did not impress much.
5/10
6 Roelof Smit:
He won a few turnover balls for his team and he will only grow with more opportunities. He also got his name on the scoresheet as well.
7/10
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit:
South Africa's Player of the Year had a mixed bag. He scored a clever try and had a number of strong carriers. However, he also lost the ball on a number of occasions.
6/10
4 Rudolph Snyman:
Secured a few balls in the line-out and was physical in the tight phases.
5/10
3 Lourens Adriaanse:
He destroyed Reggie Goodes on several occasions at scrum time but looked lethargic in other areas of the game.
6/10
2 Malcolm Marx:
He put in a few big hits on defence, but he did do too much with ball in hand like we know he can
5/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
He was part of a dominant front row, but he still needs to do more in open play.
6/10
Replacements:
16 Bongi Mbonambi (On for M Marx, 52nd min):
He struggled to find his line-out jumpers at times but did show neat touches in open play.
5/10
17 Lizo Gqoboka (On for M Mtawarira, 70th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
18 Trevor Nyakane (On for L Adriaanse, 60th min):
He continued where Lourens Adriaanse left off in a strong scrummaging display.
6/10
19 Eben Etzebeth (On for R Snyman, 52nd min):
He is strong in the carry but needs to pass/offload more.
5/10
20 Jean-Luc du Preez (On for T Mohoje, 52nd min):
He did not stand out much, but he contributed to the Boks' fighting cause in the second half.
5/10
21 Piet van Zyl (On for R Paige, 69th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
22 Tiaan Schoeman:
Not used.
23 Ruan Combrinck (On for J Kriel, 41 min):
He brought a bit of pace to the backline, but he needs more ball to work with.
6/10
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