South Africa player ratings vs Portugal | July Tests 2024

South African player ratings: South Africa got back in the win column following their loss to Ireland a week ago as they downed a spirited Portugal side 64 – 21 in Bloemfontein.

Going down to fourteen men within the opening two minutes as Andre Esterhuizen was shown a yellow card, which was subsequently upgraded to red, the World Champions would immediately be on the back foot.

Capitalising on their numbers advantage, Portugal would go the length of the pitch for the opening try as they pounced on a misguided grubber kick from Evan Roos.

Showing their quality, Rassie Erasmus’s side would soon seize control of proceedings as debutant Jan-Hendrik Wessels scored the first of his side’s ten tries.

Here is how the Springbok players performed in their final test ahead of the 2024 Rugby Championship.

1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 7
Exceptional vision from the Bull’s versatile front ranker, who went route one before diving over a pile of bodies to score his first try in the green and gold. Getting on the ball six times during his time on the pitch, the Bulls front ranker had an assured first outing in the green and gold.

2. Johan Grobbelaar – 6
A no-frills showing for the hooker on his debut, his work rate around the breakdown was noticeable, and he was rewarded with a turnover. Outside of this, he did a lot of the dirty work that allowed the Boks to go through the gears.

3. Thomas du Toit – 6
Anchoring a good, if not dominant, scrummaging performance from his side with a 75% win rate in the set piece, the Bath tighthead had some moments where he looked like he might bust through contact for a decent break. Unfortunately for him, the moment never came for him to stretch his legs fully before he was replaced in the 58th minute.

4. Salmaan Moerat – 7
It was a baptism of fire for the first-time Springbok captain, who was faced with an early Andre Esterhuizen sending-off, which was promptly followed by a Kurt-Lee Arendse yellow card. Despite these two setbacks, he remained composed and put in a solid outing as part of a dominant showing from the Bok pack.

5. RG Snyman – 7
South Africa’s Go-go-gadget man was at it again as he occupied multiple Portuguese defenders with every carry. Utilising his leverage and power to get his hands free, he topped the offloads charts with four, all of which were impactful moments.

6. Phepsi Buthelezi – 5
Plucked from the action in the 58th minute, the Sharks backrow had a mixed bag of a day. Carrying three times for 27 meters and a try is an efficient return, but outside of this, he wasn’t really a factor in the match.

7. Ben-Jason Dixon – 7.5
Hard-nosed and hard-edged, Dixon put in a workhorse performance and was rewarded with a superbly taken try. Carrying the ball nine times for 40 meters, completing three offloads and seven tackles, the man who is being lined up as the next Pieter-Steph Du Toit was impervious in Bloemfontein.

8. Evan Roos – 5
Cape Town’s ‘bull in a china shop’, there is little doubt about Roos’s physical capabilities. Ripping into the Portuguese with reckless abandonment, Roos was once again held back with head-scratching errors (one of which led to the first Portuguese try) and bizarre lapses in discipline. Ultimately, these issues are holding him back from being a consistent test performer.

9. Cobus Reinach – 5
Whipping out 43 passes during the 43 minutes he was on the park whilst sprinkling in a handful of carries was about par for the veteran scrumhalf.

10. Manie Libbok – 4
South African Rugby’s tortured artist had a now routine mixed bag of an outing. Facing little pressure behind a dominant pack, he had some moments of brilliance operating as a point guard as he facilitated the play for his teammates. Yet another scattergun performance from the kicking tee will be a real mark against him when it comes to selection for the bigger tests to come.

11. Makazole Mapimpi – 8.5
Explosive, experienced and confident, Mapimpi looked back to his best as he shredded the Portuguese defence with 17 carries for 122 meters and three tries. Of course, he benefitted from being on the end of a dominant platform, but he remains a classy operator who is still very much a live option for The Rugby Championship.

12. Andre Esterhuizen – N/A
Shown a yellow card in the second minute, which was upgraded early in the contest for his tackle that saw Portugal centre Jose Lima leave the action.

13. Lukhanyo Am – 8.5
An off-the-charts outing from the star Bok centre, who did the work of two players for 78 minutes following Esterhuizen’s sending-off. Whilst Jesse Kriel received plenty of plaudits following the series against Ireland, Am brings a level of sophistication to the Bok backline that makes him the perfect conductor of their new all-court attack.

14. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 6.5
Avoiding calamity as the bunker didn’t upgrade his yellow card, the star winger had a busy outing when he was on the pitch. Gaining 84 meters from seven carries with four line breaks and a try, he was a constant thorn in the side of the Portuguese. Had it not been for some desperate defending, he would’ve been away for at least two more long-range tries.

15. Aphelele Fassi – 5
Bizarrely unable to fully get involved with the action despite his side being firmly in the ascendancy, the electric Sharks fullback had a mediocre outing. Carrying the ball three times for 33 meters, most of which came from a line-break, is not quite the stat line he would’ve expected coming into today’s fixture.

REPLACEMENTS
16. Andre-Hugo Venter – 7
Following in his father’s footsteps, the hometown kid scored a great try on his debut. Whilst he doesn’t play in the same position as his father, his hard-hitting style of play is eerily similar to the former Bok backrow.

17. Ntuthuko Mchunu – 6
Getting a solid twenty minutes in the saddle for the Sharks loosehead will stand him in good stead. Showing his endeavour, he managed to get on the ball three times and kept his foot on the floor during scrum time.

18. Trevor Nyakane – 5
A relatively non-descript showing from the veteran as he entered the fray with the victory firmly sealed.

19. Ruan Venter – 6
Replacing Buthelezi in the 58th minute, the Lions youngster went searching for work as he carried the ball six times, got an offload away and generally had a good debut.

20. Elrigh Louw – 7
Replacing Roos early in the second half, the Bulls’ backrow picked up where the Stormers’ number eight left off as a frequent carrying option in the middle of the pitch. Carrying eight times for 33 meters and topping the Bok tackles completed table with six, he had a busy day in what was a rather tetchy test match.

21. Morne van den Berg – 7
Joining the growing roster of ultra-versatile Springbok backs, van den Berg looked assured when he replaced Reinach. Controlling the tempo of the match well, he kicked smartly and passed efficiently to keep his team in the right areas of the field.

22. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 9
South African Rugby’s worst-kept secret, the DHL Stormers youngster is a superstar in the making. Outside of a missed tackle that led to a Portuguese try, he was about as close to perfect as it gets. Kicking exceptionally well from both the kicking tee and in general play whilst being direct and physical in the carry. The calls for his elevation to the starting Springbok number ten shirt will only continue to grow louder.

23. Quan Horn – 6
Yet another try-scoring debut, the impressive Lions back capped off his day with a well-taken try as he scampered over from close range.