Sat, 28 Sep 2013 14:37
Fourie du Preez played a starring role in the Springboks’ emphatic
28-8 victory over the Wallabies at Newlands on Saturday.
The
veteran made his first start for the Boks since the 2011 World Cup against the
selfsame Australians and he proved that class is indeed permanent.
He
dictated the pace of the game with his speed to the breakdown and excellent
distribution and showed that he’s undoubtedly South Africa’s best option at
No.9.
In the
pack, vice-captain Adriaan Strauss led the charge while Eben Etzebeth enjoyed
another stellar Test outing.
Quintin van Jaarsveld rates
the Springbok players.
15 Zane Kirchner
Rock
solid in all departments and got much more involved on attack, making 10 runs
in total and dotting down.
7/10
14 Willie le Roux
Did
exceptionally well to score with no room to work with, chased well and
contested particularly well in the air.
7/10
13
JJ Engelbrecht
A
rather quiet outing but showed good presence of mind on the break to sum up the
situation and feed Kirchner on his inside for his try.
6/10
12
Jean de Villiers (captain)
Continued
his rich vein of form with another outstanding performance. Caused plenty of
problems with his strong running, threw a sublime pass to create Kirchner’s try
and won a penalty on the deck. Made some curious captaincy calls, though, not
to chase the bonus point sooner.
7.5/10
11
Bryan Habana
Full
of enthusiasm and energy which showed he hasn’t lost any of his hunger for Test
rugby. Went looking for work but didn’t get any real opportunities on attack.
6.5/10
10
Morné Steyn
Satisfactory
best sums up his 50th Test. Enjoyed being reunited with his old Bok and Bulls
partner and kept the continuity on attack but some minor uncharacteristic
errors (such as kicking out on the full) slipped into his game.
6.5/10
9
Fourie du Preez
His
influence was apparent in the high tempo at which the Boks played the game. His
distribution – in which he showcased a full array of passes – was immaculate in
its crispness and accuracy and his vision to identify the ideal standoff and
support runners (see Strauss’ try) exceptional. Slowed down in the second half
but clearly a player who hasn’t lost any of his class.
9/10
8
Duane Vermeulen
A
massive presence across the park, even outworking the more mobile Francois Louw
in the first half, but was on the wrong side of the referee all game, giving
away three penalties and ultimately being yellow carded.
5.5/10
7
Willem Alberts
Not
his strongest game. His workrate and physicality wasn’t at its usual high
standards and he fell off a couple of tackles.
6/10
6
Francois Louw
One of
the Boks’ most industrious ball carriers but like Alberts wasn’t at his best.
Most importantly, he blew hot and cold at the breakdown, winning two turnovers
but also conceding two penalties.
6.5/10
5
Flip van der Merwe
Had a
solid game and was particularly accurate at the restart before seeing yellow
for a dangerous leading elbow in the tackle.
5.5/10
4
Eben Etzebeth
Most
impressive of his all-round spectacular performance was his uncanny workrate
for a man of his sheer size. He was in the thick of the action in the tight
loose, made a peerless 12 tackles and dominated the line-out with seven takes.
8/10
3
Jannie du Plessis
Not
quite the 50th Test performance he would have envisioned, conceding an early
scrum penalty and contributing just a few carries.
6/10
2
Adriaan Strauss
A near
faultless display all-round and a top contender for man of the match before
being replaced after 49 minutes. Great ball carries, which included him scoring
the opening try, a perfect 10-0 record at line-out time and won a breakdown
penalty.
8.5/10
1
Tendai Mtawarira
A
mobile display, highlighted by his centre-like show and go.
6.5/10
Replacements:
16
Bismarck du Plessis (on for Strauss, 49th minute)
Brought
his trademark physicality and worked hard on defence but saw two of his
line-out throws being stolen.
6.5/10
17
Gurthrö Steenkamp (on for Mtawarira, 53rd minute)
Held
up his end at scrum time and made all his tackles.
6/10
18
Coenie Oosthuizen (on for J du Plessis, 66th minute)
Not
enough time to be rated.
