Player ratings: One-way traffic
But credit where credit is due. The Springbok played what was in front of them end demolished the US Eagles' second-string selection 64-0 in London on Wednesday.
The highlight of the game was, without doubt, Bryan Habana's hat-trick of tries and the Boks' dominance in the set pieces.
Jan de Koning rates the South African players!
15 Willie le Roux:
His kicking game is letting him down in a big way.
5/10
14 Bryan Habana:
Committed and putting his body on the line, even winning some breakdown turnovers and still knows how to find the tryline. Pity about the knock-on near the tryline.
9/10
13 Jesse Kriel:
His positional play and option-taking let him down in a big way.
3/10
12 Damian de Allende:
Strong and direct. Knows when to run into space and when to take it up.
8/10
11 Lwazi Mvovo:
Powerful with ball in hand even though the ball did not always go his way.
6/10
10 Handré Pollard:
He had some good moments with ball in hand, but his passing and decision-making needs plenty of work.
5/10
9 Fourie du Preez (captain):
His decision-making was not as accurate as we have come to expect.
5/10
8 Duane Vermeulen:
His hands let him down too often, but his physical presence was immense.
6/10
7 Schalk Burger:
Needs to learn not to wrap his arms around players' neck in the tackle and also got in the way of the backs at times. Still a high-energy performance.
6/10
6 Francois Louw:
He is meant to push the envelope, by the nature of his game, but at times he ripped it apart and cost his team. Some great carries and a heap of tackles.
7/10
5 Lodewyk de Jager:
The power he generates – be that with ball in hand, cleaning out at rucks or in the scrums – is a crucial part of the Boks' game and tactics. His workrate is just as impressive.
8/10
4 Eben Etzebeth:
Perhaps a touch quieter than his second row partner, but still an invaluable contribution.
7/10
3 Frans Malherbe:
His scrum power set the tone early on and his work on defence was just as impressive.
7/10
2 Bismarck du Plessis:
His work at the breakdown was immense – earning his team a number of turnovers and penalties. However, still has the odd line-out throw that goes awry.
7/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
Reduced mostly to a defensive role, although his scrumming was impressive – even taken into consideration the quality of the opposition.
6/10
Replacements:
16 Schalk Brits (on for Du Plessis, 56 min):
Some good carries, nice stepping and made all his tackles.
6/10
17 Trevor Nyakane (on for Mtawarira, 56 min):
Scrummed strongly, but his workrate was disappointing.
5/10
18 Coenie Oosthuizen (on for Malherbe, 60 min):
He is clearly in need of more game-time.
5/10
19 Pieter-Steph du Toit (on for De Jager, 63 min):
Way off his best and needs to work hard to get to an acceptable level.
5/10
20 Willem Alberts (on for Burger, 48 min):
Plenty of string carries and made all his tackles.
6/10
21 Rudy Paige (on for Du Preez, 63 min):
Passed every ball he got and made two tackles. Just a link.
6/10
22 Morné Steyn (on for Pollard, 56 min):
Looked rusty, but stuck to the basics and made no major errors.
5/10
23 Jan Serfontein (on for De Allende, 60 min):
He was never tested and did what was required of him.
6/10
