Springboks:
- Nyakane (5.8)
- Mbonambi (6.0)
- Malherbe (6.5)
- Etzebeth (6.0)
- De Jager (5.0)
- Kolisi (5.0)
- Smith (6.5)
- Vermeulen (5.7)
- De Klerk (5.8)
- Pollard (5.0)
- Mapimpi (5.0)
- De Allende (0.1)
- Am (2.0)
- Nkosi (5.7)
- Le Roux (6.0)
- Marx (6.5)
- Kitshoff (5.8)
- Koch (4.0)
- Mostert (5.0)
- Van Staden (6.0)
- H Jantjies (-)
- E Jantjies (-)
- Steyn (-)
Lets get one thing straight, the All Blacks were their own worst enemies today. So many unforced errors that really kept the Boks in the game, and took the foot off their throats. This is the most pap Bok side I have ever seen; it's a good thing they kick so often, because in general play they are quite emphatically weaker than all of their opponents this year. They started the game with the outside rush, and the Kiwis headed that pressure and came back inside, where they absolutely hammered us, gaining massive chunk yardage. Lood was there to be seen with his very poor tackle radius and almost equally poor physical presence. The only place he could be found doing anything constructive was in the lineouts, and this really was where the Boks kept the All Blacks at bay in the second half. The Bok midfield was the most uninvolved and impotent I have ever seen. Quite literally, I have never seen anything quite like it. Where were Damian and Am? Malherbe had his best game, better in the scrums and also massive on defence. Marx needs to start. Van Staden looked good coming off the bench. Kwagga was physical and a nuisance, a very involved competitor. stood out in the first half for the Boks. I wasn't as impressed by Thor. He is there on reputation, and is well below the base level set by Wiese. Had a couple of good moments, but is not the physical presence he once was, and is noticeably not generating the momentum of Wiese.
I know the Boks would be thinking they deserved to win, but they really were let off the hook. Unforced errors allowed the Boks to have a margin on the scoreboard for doing almost nothing at all, like the first Puma test. Unlike los Pumas, the All Blacks were able to overcome it. The All Blacks will improve, but this was the Boks putting all of their eggs in their prima basket and going for broke, and they looked every bit as awful as they have all year, if not the very worst. You can't hope the opposition have a bad day and gift you penalties and freebies, especially if you are the world cup holders. They simply had nothing to give other than the kick and the lineout. They were comprehensively outgunned everywhere else. This is the worst world champions of all time, the weakest Bok side I have ever seen and the most impotent. They have pretty much nothing to offer, and don't look like they belong at tier one level to be perfectly honest. The coaching is utterly horrendous, and worse than the lowest point of the Snor era, and the Straeuli Boks actually do compare more favourably as well.
