By David Agnew
Published: 11:01PM Saturday September 14, 2013 Source: ONE Sport
Sam Cane, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock and Charles Piatua all shone as the All Blacks beat the Springboks.
15-Israel Dagg (5/10)
Started brightly then clashed with Bryan Habana, ending his night at halftime. Only worried by the high ball and never got the opportunity to show his stuff. Outshone by the dynamic Piutau.
14-Ben Smith (7/10)
Solid night with a handful of 'almost' moments. Has a keen eye for a gap that no one else sees.
13-Conrad Smith (8/10)
Sleight of hand, the feint of his hips, the smart decisions and the normal Smith defence. Lucky not to get a yellow at the end of the match for an agricultural hand at the breakdown.
12-Ma'a Nonu (5/10)
A mixed bag with some nice touches with a few unforced errors. Quiet game by Nonu's standards until his late shoulder charge made du Plessis' look textbook.
11-Julian Savea (7/10)
Had a bit of trouble under the high ball but made up for it with an appetite to get the ball. Well covered but was dangerous with great tackles needed to stop him.
10-Dan Carter (n/a)
Felled by a big Bismarck hit on the quarter hour. One nice conversion but a short outing.
9-Aaron Smith (8/10)
Great distribution, accurate box kicking, smart decisions, another fantastic match notched up.
8-Kieran Read (7.5/10)
A yellow card in the 72nd minute but it's hard to argue with Read's impact on his team and the match. Two tries, almost a hat trick, huge hits and no one missed Richie. Quiet year so far just blossomed.
7-Sam Cane (8.5/10)
A coming of age story and not how you're thinking. In the first half he came out of 'his' shadow, making some physical impact. Was given some brutal friendly fire from Franks and came back strongly in the second, spilling blood, scoring a try and belting his body around.
6-Liam Messam (7/10)
Looked like he missed Test rugby. Great return from injury, willing to muck in against any opposition. Made some crucial plays and was tailor made for the start in this one.
5-Sam Whitelock (8/10)
Huge tackling around the fringes. A few line outs went awry but it didn't matter when the breakdown was owned by this consistent performer who is rarely noticed in the best possible way.
4-Brodie Retallick (8.5/10)
First Test try and a brute with the ball in hand. Combined with Whitelock brilliantly and inconceivably bullied the Springbok tight five.
3-Owen Franks (7/10)
After popping up out of the first scrum, shook it off and back to his normal self. Solid hit out after injury and wasn't bettered by his opposite.
2-Dane Coles (7/10)
A few lineout misses but nothing terminal. Was never shown up as out of his depth and did his basics well. Biggest test passed. Tick for the coaches also.
1-Tony Woodcock (7.5/10)Ditto Franks. His tackling around the fringes is something a magnifying glass is needed for but his work rate is phenomenal.
Reserves:
16-Keven Mealamu (6/10)
On for Coles at the 50 minute mark. Got stuck in the best way he knows how. Was part of the forward surge in last quarter that demoralised the opposition pack.
17-Wyatt Crockett (n/a)
On for Woodcock with ten to go. Made some great bootlace tackles.
18-Charlie Faumuina (7/10)
Last fifteen for Franks. Picked up where he left off in Pumas Test, enforcing himself on the ball runners.
19-Steven Luatua (6/10)
On for Messam for last twenty. One ranging run that he's becoming known for on the flanks.
20-Matt Todd (n/a)
On for Cane intermittingly. One big tackle of note.
21-Tawera Kerr-Barlow (n/a)
On for Julian Savea, a little stint on the wing.
22-Beauden Barrett (7.5/10)
Thrust in early after Carter's exit. Missed touch from the penalty then in same phase set up Retallick's try with fullback-esque bust. One tough cookie on defence, loves to run and to put it simply, the All Blacks are spoilt beyond belief at No.10.
23-Charles Piutau (8/10)
On at the start of the second half for Dagg. Seamless entry into the game, showing the willingness to run at the line. Exciting to watch and added a spark from the rear and shows some agro in the tackle. Deserves the next start over a subdued Dagg.
