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Springboks player ratings vs Australia | Rugby Championship
It was, by some distance, South Africa’s worst performance under the current coaching set-up.
Outscoring the Springboks by four tries to one, the Wallabies went back-to-back against the Boks for the first time in five years – winning 30-17 and reclaiming the Mandela Plate SA has held since 2019.
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To make matter worse, the result will see South Africa being knocked off first place in the world rankings.
The Boks were their own worst enemies in an error-prone performance.
In the first half, South Africa missed 12 of their 31 tackle attempts and by the end of the game that stat went to 19 from 69 – a tackle success rate of barely 70 percent.
Jan de Koning of Rugby365 rates the South African players.
15. Willie le Roux – 4/10
He fell off tackles and was guilty of poor execution, while his kicking game was not as good as it should have been. He looked a frustrated player.
14. Sibusiso Nkosi – 5
His hands were not as secure as normal and looked nervous. His kick chasing was better and he was fearless in the air. Like most of his teammates he slipped a few tackles.
13. Lukhanyo Am – 5
A very quiet day at the office, certainly by his standards. Had limited chances on attack and scored the Boks’ only try, but also slipped a few tackles.
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12. Damian de Allende – 6
Was certainly the most productive backline player in the Bok side, the go-to player for getting his team over the advantage line. His 50-odd carry metres were the best for the SA team. Made all his tackles – one of few players who did not miss any.
11. Makazole Mapimpi – 5
The ball did come his way on occasion and he looked to provide some spark. However, found the Aussie defence too much and made some errors of judgement.
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10. Handré Pollard – 3
Missed the tackle that resulted in first Wallaby try and then slipped a few more. One brilliant 50-22 kick and His kicking at goal was more accurate than last week. However, he is looking badly out of sorts and his execution was poor.
9. Francois de Klerk – 2
Conceded an early penalty conceded hen he got his timing wrong and then getting yellow-carded in the ninth-minute and cost his team 12 points (two tries). His kicking game was acceptable at times and a sublime grubber resulted in Lukhanyo Am’s try. However, indecision cost his team.
8. Duane Vermeulen – 4
Made a valiant effort to inject himself into the game, but still way of from the form he showed in 2019. Looked ponderous at times and also missed tackles.
7. Francois Mostert – 4
You simply can’t fault his effort, but simply missed too many tackles, conceding penalties and seemed uncomfortable with playing on the flank.
6. Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain) – 5
Made a crucial try-saving tackle early in the match and was the Boks’ most productive defender – missing just one tackle. Unfortunately he was seagulling a bit too often and his execution not the best.
5. Marvin Orie – 4
He did bring stability in the line-outs, but did very little outside of the set pieces – making just one tackle.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 6
Conceded penalty for crawling and then another tackle penalty in quick succession. Made all his tackles, a rarity for the Boks in this game, and also won a turnover. SA’s best forward.
3. Frans Malherbe – 5
Made his tackles and solid in the scrums. However, there was nothing spectacular – just doing the basics.
2. Mbongeni Mbonambi – 4
His workrate was not good and missed several tackles. At least his work ate the set pieces was solid.
1. Trevor Nyakane – 4
His hands let him down at times and his workrate outside the set pieces was disappointing.
Replacements:
16. Malcolm Marx (on for Mbonambi, 46th min) – 3 – No impact whatsoever. Had a few ineffective carries and made some mistakes – conceding two turnovers.
17. Steven Kitshoff (on for Nyakane twice – 25th min for HIA & 46th min) – 3 – Had a handful of carries, without real impact. Otherwise, a very quiet day at the office, making just one tackle.
18. Vincent Koch (on for Malherbe, 46th min) – 5 – Was a bit more productive on defence and had two decent carries.
19. Marco van Staden (on for Kolisi, 70th min) – N/A – Not enough time to be rated.
20. Albertus Smith (on for Orie, 46th min) – 5 – Tried hard without making much of an impact. Made all his tackles.
21. Jasper Wiese (on for Vermeulen twice – 33 for HIA & 70th min) – 3 – Had his moments in two cameos, but ended up being yellow carded in the end.
22. Herschel Jantjies (on for De Klerk, 63rd min) – 2 – Went from bad to worse in the No.9 channel. He didn’t provide the spark that was required, made poor decisions and his hands let him down.
23. Damian Willemse – N/A – Unused.
