I am posting two set of player ratings here.
Rugby 365
15 Willie le Roux:
Hot and cold – more often cold, with some really bad, unforced errors
3/10
14 Makazole Mapimpi:
In the modern game, a wing should not be hanging out wide, waiting for his teammates to create opportunities for him.
4/10
13 Jesse Kriel:
A handful of impressive tackles, but no impact with the ball in hand. Something is seriously amiss in the midfield.
4/10
12 Damian de Allende:
At least he showed some desire. Carried the ball up strongly and made plenty of tackles. Just not connecting with his fellow midfielder.
6/10
11 Aphiwe Dyantyi:
No doubt he is a threat with the ball in hand, but the rest of his game is of a club standard.
4/10
10 Elton Jantjies:
Some good work on defence. His playmaking was sound at times. However, the wet conditions again did not suit his game.
5/10
9 Faf de Klerk:
Hot and cold. Some great defending and also some poor execution of his box kicks – to go with a few silly penalties. Almost tempted to say the good was just a bit better than the bad.
5/10
8 Warren Whiteley:
Does so much of the dirty work – covering up for his teammates’ mistakes. Carried the ball often and his tackle count was into double figures – maintaining his spot as the competition’s most productive and most effective defender.
7/10
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit:
He is certainly the Boks’ most effective loose forward and blindside flank may just be his best position. He showed more desire and passion that most of his teammates.
8/10
6 Siya Kolisi (captain):
Some really impressive runs and solid on defence. Unfortunately not as effective as the other loose forwards.
6/10
5 Franco Mostert:
Another of the players in Green and Gold that does the donkey work – a member of the unsung heroes club. Made a match-high 16 tackles.
7/10
4 Eben Etzebeth:’
Solid on the restarts and won crucial intercept near his tryline midway through the second half. However, he blows hot and cold and his workrate on defence was poor.
5/10
3 Frans Malherbe:
His workrate on defence was good and he was powerful in the scrums. However, his hands let him down at times and his workrate outside the set pieces was poor.
5/10
2 Mbongeni Mbonambi:
Shocking line-out throw that gifted the Wallabies a very soft try – that after two. other wonky throws and a number of slipped tackles. Was not a surprise the coach replaced him before halftime.
2/10
1 Steven Kitshoff:
Started well, with a huge workrate and dome strong tackles. However, conceded a few penalties and his workrate dropped.
5/10
Replacements:
16 Malcolm Marx (on for Mbonambi, 35th min):
His line-out throwing remains a concern, although it improved as the match wore on. Can’t be faulted on defence and his work away from the set pieces also worth a mention.
5/10
17 Tendai Mtawarira (on for Kitshoff, 58th min):
Conceded a penalty with his first touch of the ball and then another at a scrum. Came good in the scrums as the second half wore on, but his workrate was poor.
4/10
18 Wilco Louw (on for Malherbe, 58th min):
Another player who had no impact – apart from his scrumming. Poor workrate.
4/10
19 Rudolph Snyman (on for Etzebeth, 61st min):
Not sure what he found funny in the game, but the only comedy was the way he performed. He did not make a single tackle in 20 minutes of play and conceded a silly penalty.
3/10
20 Francois Louw (on for Whiteley, 62nd minute):
No impact whatsoever. Did not make a single tackle. Does he still have the desire to play for his country?
3/10
21 Embrose Papier:
Not used.
22 Handré Pollard (on for Jantjies, 65th min):
Made three passes, one kick and one tackle. No impact.
4/10
23 Cheslin Kolbe (on for Mapimpi, 34th min):
Made a huge blunder on defence in the early stages of the second half. He was also found out on a couple of other occasions. A debut he would like to forget.
4/10
Comments
I differ from the above assessment iro a number of players. Jantjies did not make any obvious errors - but his decision-making and execution leaves some serious question marks - his defense was poor as well. Faf made so many errors - his rating should be 4 at best. The tackle count by Mostertis questionable and his contribution to the Tight 5 was barely minimal. Definitely not ,ore than 4/10. Same with Whitley.
The two idiot on site went for Malherbe and claimed that the scrumming of Louw and Beast was better when they came on. That was obviously the one lie they could not escape from. The supreme idiots obviously want Louw in the team - but as the above article indicates he made NO tackles in the 18 minutes he played.
News 24
Willie le Roux: 4
A brilliant feature of their last win in Australia at the same venue in 2013, Le Roux failed lamentably to revisit those highs here. One chip he made on attack went straight into touch, and two knock-ons under little pressure thwarted promising enough Bok raids. Seasoned campaigner must take his share of blame for bad exit play by SA, as well.
Makazole Mapimpi: 6
The right wing was looking zestful … before falling prey to first-half injury for a second Test in a row. But in his 33 minutes he had engineered a turnover and also notched a corner-flag try with sound body positioning from Faf de Klerk’s skip pass.
Jesse Kriel: 5.5
Kriel probably didn’t do enough to suggest the instability at outside centre has been solved, but he was nothing if not tenacious, including a gutsy defensive intervention in the corner. Botched one chip kick from his own quarter.
Damian de Allende: 6.5
Solid game, pretty much throughout, even if opportunities to get into fifth gear were few and far between for him. Constructive in limited space, and made firm tackles. Lost the ball once in a “bust-in” move near the Aussie tryline.
Aphiwe Dyantyi: 5
Spent quite a bit of time catching the proverbial cold, as attacking chances seldom arose for the livewire left wing. Badly messed up one high-ball collection.
Elton Jantjies: 5.5
The big plus for the enigmatic No 10 was that he largely cut out personal errors in this match. Also kicked all three of his goals. No special X-factor in his key slot, though, and some dinks in promising positions didn’t come off; he was also overhasty once with a relieving penalty kick that gained very limited distance into touch.
Faf de Klerk: 3.5
Because he is such a natural “eager beaver”, he will always do some good things – like the long pass that teed up Mapimpi’s try. But De Klerk was also one of the most glaring culprits for errors. These included an ill-judged kick leading to an early Wallaby try, some knock-ons, an off-side lapse and a high tackle. Can’t someone just calm him down at times?
Warren Whiteley: 5.5
I felt his busy, willing first half was one of his best 40-minute spells in recent times. It included some gritty last-ditch defending. But then he seemed to lose some lustre and was yanked off around the hour mark.
Pieter-Steph du Toit: 5.5
Physically up for it, as ever. Pitched up convincingly in pressure situations, and one rib-crunching tackle on Matt Toomua. Once or twice exposed in the pace department as stealthier Aussie ball-carriers would elude his grasp.
Siya Kolisi: 5
Keeping up his far from ideal hallmark of getting fulsomely involved in bursts … then going anonymous again. Should have reacted quicker when Boks botched a long lineout throw to leak a silly try. Some fine bust-outs and carries, but also no special impact as a fetcher, and seemed to irk referee Glen Jackson in the closing stages.
Franco Mostert: 5
Some honest input, but that’s not new from him, and debate may also re-open about whether Boks require a slightly beefier specimen in the No 5 shirt.
Eben Etzebeth: 6.5
Infinitely better than in Mendoza, where the big enforcer was subbed in the 47th minute – very early for him. Put in a robust hour here, playing major role in general Bok forward supremacy (both set-piece and tight-loose) in the first half. Plenty of tackles, and kick-off receipts sound.
Frans Malherbe: 6.5
As with Etzebeth, lifted his game enormously from the loss in Argentina. Lost a ball forward in contact early on, but then got stuck in at the coalface. Scrummed well, and was well-placed to make some vital tackles, too, near the Bok line.
Bongi Mbonambi: 6
The hooker was having a fine outing until shortly before halftime, including controlling Bok mauls astutely and dotting a well-earned try from one of them. But then his unfathomable long throw in a defensive-lineout situation (albeit that someone else probably called it?) surrendered a gift seven-pointer … and he was highly debatably substituted ahead of the break. It didn’t seem like best man-management.
Steven Kitshoff: 6
Hmm, mixed bag … as with several colleagues. Serious handful as Boks earned some widespread forward traction in first half, including two cheeky wins at front of lineout. But he began to become too penalty-prone and an untimely knock-on didn’t help.
Standout substitute:
Francois Louw: 5.5
All the talk of an unusually heavyweight Bok bench really amounted to little: few subs truly shone, though at least the veteran Louw tried near-ceaselessly to get his hands and knees dirty in the closing 18 minutes.
Comments
Some real problems here as well.
Jantjies' defense was poor and his decision-making worse, Louw tried desperately not to get his hands and knees dirty in the game, In the 189 minutes he played He made ZERO tackles. Bongi was so poor hew as replaced early - where did he get 6 from?
