Player ratings: South Africa

OPINION: South Africa appears to be in good shape heading into the World Cup, based on the performances of some fringe players in the 24-13 warm-up win over Argentina at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Despite leading 10-3 after an emotion-charged first half, Los Pumas were no match for the skill, power and pace of the Springboks.

The two-tries to one and 11-point final margin belies the overall dominance of the Boks.

Jan de Koning rates the South African players!

15 Damian Willemse
Started with a silly error by letting the ball bounce off him into touch inside his own 22, but soon made up for it with some great stepping and some impressive touchfinders. His defence requires some work.
7/10

14 Canan Moodie
Caused all kinds of problems for the Los Pumas defence and also made some impressive tackles to win turnovers. Made all his tackles, had some amazing reads on defence, made three clean breaks and beat four defenders.
9.5/10

13 Lukhanyo Am
An undisclosed injury prevented him from coming out for the second half. Having only a scrappy first half to base his performance on, does not do him any favours.
6/10

12 Andre Esterhuizen
Showed he is so much more than just a crash-ball player. There were a couple of great takes in the air and even some neat grubbers. Impressive metres with the ball in hand and rock solid on defence.
7/10

11 Makazole Mapimpi
Produced some great kick chasing, impressed with his work in the air and even won a breakdown penalty. He is slowly regaining his best form.
7/10

10 Manie Libbok
For all his creative ability, it is his inconsistent goal-kicking that remains the biggest concern – a kicking percentage of barely above 50 percent.
7.5/10

9 Cobus Reinach
Did the basics well, but did not play much in the second half when the game went in favour of the Boks. Missed two tackles and conceded two penalties.
6/10

8 Jasper Wiese
Impressive workrate and even winning a penalty at the tackle. Carried hard, but also missed a few tackles.
6/10

7 Franco Mostert
If you can overlook his yellow card, which was questionable at best, he had a decent day at the office. Some strong carries, but also a few missed tackles.
6.5/10

6 Deon Fourie
Showed his value at the breakdown and worked hard on defence. However, three missed tackles spoilt an otherwise fine performance.
6/10

5 Marvin Orie
His hands let him down on occasion and also had a penalty turned around for pushing an opponent in the face. Seemed to have fallen back into bad habits.
5/10

4 Jean Kleyn
His hard work was undone by giving away silly penalties, although his ball carries and defence was good value for the team.
7/10

3 Thomas du Toit
Carried with vigour and stood his ground in the scrums. However, he seemed to fade.
6/10

2 Bongi Mbonambi (captain)
Did himself and the team proud with an honest day’s toil, making all his tackles and conceding just one turnover.
7/10

1 Trevor Nyakane
He was in desperate need of some game time, with his most productive work on defence.
6/10

Replacements:

16 Joseph Dweba (on for Mbonambi, 52nd min)
Tried hard, but his execution let him down at times. He will have benefitted from the game time.
6/10

17 Gerhard Steenekamp (on for Nyakane, 62nd min)
Tried to inject himself into the game, but some overeagerness resulted in a couple of penalties.
6/10

18 Vincent Koch (on for Du Toit, 52nd min)
Showed his experience and was good value off the bench – some impressive carries and made all his tackles.
7/10

19 Jean-Luc du Preez (on for Orie, 48th min)
Showed his versatility – even winning a penalty as a jackler. Put his hand up for World Cup selection.
7/10

20 Evan Roos (on for Wiese, 57th min)
Another player in need of game time, but he certainly did not harm his reputation.
6/10

21 Herschel Jantjies (on for Reinach, 56th min)
Tried desperately to bash the Bok door down and had an acceptable outing. Remains a fringe player.
6/10

22 Jesse Kriel (on for Am, 41st min)
Made some impressive defensive reads, a handful of strong carries and ensured he will be on the plane to France.
7.5/10

23 Kurt-Lee Arendse
Unused.

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