Player ratings: South Africa

OPINION: It was one-way traffic by South Africa, with just momentarily glimpses of Welsh resistance.

In the end, the 52-16 winning margin was just reward for the Springboks’ commanding performance in Cardiff on Saturday.

How much value you put into a rout against such a diluted Welsh team remains to be seen, but you can only play what is in front of you and the Boks swatted them away like pesky mosquitoes.

The biggest news is the successful return of captain Siya Kolisi.

Jan de Koning‘s rating of the South African players follow below!

15 Willie le Roux
Still a key player for the Boks, especially with his try-assists. He struggled a bit under the high ball.
6/10

14 Canan Moodie
Stepped well inside for his first try and made some great reads on defence. There was great chasing back for a crucial cover tackle.
7/10

13 Jesse Kriel
There was an early penalty for not rolling away. However, produced great chasing and showed a good turn of pace. His best game for the Boks for many years and was good value for his two tries.
9/10

12 Damian de Allende
Sublime grubber for Jesse Kriel’s try and some powerful runs. Not flawless on defence, but showing some good form.
7/10

11 Cheslin Kolbe
Made some great metres with his first carry, stepping several opponents. Really got into the game and his run metres were well into three digits. Was targeted in the air a few times.
7/10

10 Manie Libbok
His goal-kicking remains a major concern, as he again missed several kicks at goal. His kicking out of hand was also not as consistent as needs to be. However, his distribution is from the top shelve.
7/10

9 Jaden Hendrikse
Looked steady in his first match back and made a couple of decent runs, asking some serious questions. There were also some great clearance kicks.
7/10

8 Jasper Wiese
Did plenty of hard yards, without much reward – especially on defence. An honest performance.
6/10

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
Busy day at the office. There was an intercept that resulted in Jesse Kriel’s second try and killed off any chance of a Wales comeback. Had a couple of decent carries, worked hard at the breakdown and was the team’s most prolific defender.
8/10

6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
Impressive comeback and needed just 40 minutes to confirm his value. He produced a sublime off-load for the opening try by Malcolm Marx and showed no fear in the opening moments of his return from injury. Chased back hard to make a cover tackle, a few good carries and a handful of tackles.
8/10

5 RG Snyman
Support play is even more impressive than the five carries and eight tackles he made.
7/10

4 Jean Kleyn
Did some great work in stopping and disrupting mauls. There was also a great line-out steal close to his own line early in the second half. Made all his tackles and had a clean disciplinary record.
7/10

3 Frans Malherbe
Powerful set pieces, but conceded a silly penalty. His conditioning is beginning to improve and he missed just one tackle.
6/10

2 Malcolm Marx
Some early communication issues resulted in turnovers. However, contributed to the powerful set pieces and front row dominance. Made 40-plus metres with seven carries and missed just one tackle. Was good value for his try.
7/10

1 Steven Kitshoff
Did some great work in the close contests and powerful set pieces. Made all his tackles and conceded just one penalty.
7/10

(Continue below …)

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (on for Marx, 47th minute)
Continued first-half scrum dominance and also took over the captaincy. Missed two tackles, but did not let the team down.
6/10

17 Ox Nche (on for Kitshoff, 47th min)
Continued first-half scrum dominance and charged hard with the ball on several occasions. Made all his tackles and needed the run-out.
6/10

18 Vincent Koch (on for Malherbe, 47th min)
Continued first-half scrum dominance. Played with bursts of energy and can do with some more game time.
6/10

19 Franco Mostert (on for Kleyn, 50th min)
One of the most impressive players off the bench – especially with his support play and defence. Looks like his best value is as a super sub.
7/10

20 Marco van Staden (on for Kolisi, 41st min)
Didn’t play much with the ball in hand, but worked hard at the breakdown. Missed a few tackles.
6/10

21 Duane Vermeulen (on for Wiese, 50th min)
Still wins breakdown penalties and shows that age is just a number. Made all his tackles.
7/10

22 Grant Williams (on for Hendrikse, 62nd min)
Did the basics well and showed that he lost none of his sharpness during his concussion-enforced absence. One very impressive snipe.
6/10

23 Damian Willemse (on for Le Roux, 55th min)
Brilliant drift and collect of a Manie Libbok pass for his try, but spoilt it with a yellow card and off-field review for a high tackle. He was fortunate it remained a yellow card.
6/10

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