Player ratings: Saving face
It was a morale-boosting win for the Springboks and while it was still far from the perfect performance, they can be proud of certain aspects of their game, particularly their defence.
Adriaan Strauss and Francois Louw were two of the most improved players during the 80 minutes.
Warren Fortune rates the South Africa players!
15 Patrick Lambie:
He was solid at the back and made a decent return to international rugby.
5/10
14 Bryan Habana:
He missed quite a few tackles and did not get enough ball out wide once again.
4/10
13 Jesse Kriel:
He ran sideways most of the time, but he did not get a lot of good ball to work with, to be honest.
4/10
12 Juan de Jongh:
The centre did not have a very good game. He was predictable with ball in hand and he lacked creativity.
3/10
11 Francois Hougaard:
He played in two different positions during the 80 minutes and he did well. He also did some scrumhalf work at a few breakdowns while Paige was still on the field.
6/10
10 Morné Steyn:
His boot won the match for the Springboks and he gave his backline some direction – although it was far from perfect.
6/10
9 Rudy Paige:
His distribution was good and he did well under pressure on a few occasions at ruck time.
6/10
8 Warren Whiteley:
He was fantastic in the line-outs for the home side and he was solid on defence as well. Whiteley also carried the ball with aggression.
7/10
7 Teboho Mohoje:
He contributed with a number of important tackles and a few good runs with ball in hand, but he could have done more while he was on the field.
5/10
6 Francois Louw:
The openside flank was brilliant at the breakdowns. He won a few crucial turnovers and made a few big tackles as well.
7/10
5 Pieter-Steph du Toit:
He carried the ball on a few occasions, but he was quiet for large periods during his time on the field.
4/10
4 Eben Etzebeth:
He secured ball at a few line-outs, but he struggled to assert himself in open play like we know he can.
5/10
3 Vincent Koch:
He struggled in the scrums and gave away a few penalties. However, he gave his all on defence.
5/10
2 Adriaan Strauss (captain):
The captain was outstanding in open play. He carried the ball strongly and made a number of clean breaks through the Wallabies' defence.
8/10
1 Tendai Mtawarira:
He did what he could in the scrums while he was on the field and got over the advantage line on a few occasions with ball in hand.
5/10
Replacements:
16 Mbongeni Mbonambi:
Not used
17 Steven Kitshoff (On for T Mtawarira, 45th min):
He helped his team get the upper hand at scrum time on a few occasions after he came on.
6/10
18 Julian Redelinghuys (On for V Koch, 45th min):
He definitely dominated at scrum time, which helped the Boks tremendously in the second half.
6/10
19 Lodewyk de Jager (On for PS du Toit, 45th min):
His efforts around the park were poor for an international lock and he failed to assert his physical presence on the game.
2/10
20 Willem Alberts (On for R Paige, 57th min):
He had a few carries, but he did not deliver anything special.
3/10
21 Jaco Kriel (On for T Mohoje, 55th min):
He looked for work when he came on the field and tried to motivate his teammates.
5/10
22 Lionel Mapoe (On for J Kriel, 39th min):
He was solid on defence and got over the advantage line on few occasions with some decent runs.
5/10
23 Willie le Roux (On for B Habana, 46th min):
He did nothing special while he was on the field and just made up the numbers.
2/10
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