Sprinbok Player Ratings vs Australia

This is Planet Rugby's ratings:

Following their 43-12 Rugby Championship victory over the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld, here is how we rated the Springboks players.

15 Willie le Roux: A near faultless performance from the veteran full-back who kicked well and stepped in at first receiver to great effect on attack. The Libbok-Le Roux axis was highly effective for the Springboks. 8 

14 Canan Moodie: He mistimed his rush up that resulted in the match’s first try but recovered to have a solid game on the right wing. He chased and contested the box kicks well, although he did spill the ball a few times. He had a few bright moments when he did get his hands on the ball but could have done better with his opportunities. 6

13 Lukhanyo Am: Far from a vintage performance from the class outside centre, but hardly a poor outing from the Bok vice-captain on the day. He made a few sharp reads on defence and produced an excellent assist for Kurt-Lee Arendse’s third score with an extremely late pass. 7

12 Andre Esterhuizen: He took his opportunity with both hands, producing a well-rounded performance that will do his Rugby World Cup aspirations a world of good. He dragged Wallaby’s bodies with him with his thunderous carries and distributed well too. He reacted quickly to set up the opening try and hardly put a foot wrong on defence. 8

Hat-trick hero Arendse

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: A brilliant hat-trick from the Springboks’ superstar winger who has now scored ten tries in his first eight Tests for South Africa. The speedster didn’t have much to do for his first try but brilliantly finished off his second from a stellar set-piece move while he managed to complete his hat-trick despite the efforts of three Wallaby defenders. 9

10 Manie Libbok: A good first start in the fly-half jersey for the Stormers playmaker. He did have moments of poor game management in the first half, but overall, it was an accurate and controlled outing. He had his try scratched off for a knock-on in the build-up and missed a shot at goal, but that mattered little in the grand scheme. 8

9 Cobus Reinach: A few wayward kicks from the half-back, but they were few and far between. He tested the Wallabies‘ fringes and kept the tempo of the attack up high. All in all, it was a clean performance without standing out. 7

Back-row brillance

8 Duane Vermeulen: Captain the Springboks on home soil for the first time, Vermeulen did not disappoint and went some way in silencing his doubters. As per usual, he was excellent under the high ball and carried superbly, notably swatting Rob Valetini out of his way. 7

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Based on today’s performance, Du Toit is trending towards the form that earned him the World Rugby Player of the Year award in 2019. He was incredibly busy throughout his 80-minute shift and was rewarded for his efforts with a try – another tireless outing. 7

6 Marco van Staden: Rose to the challenge of replacing Siya Kolisi and starting a Test match for the first time at his home ground. He timed his pass to Bongi Mbonambi to set up Arendse’s second try perfectly and was brilliant over the ball. He tackled strongly and was a handful with ball in hand. 8

5 Marvin Orie: He got his hands on the ball plenty throughout his shift and dropped off nice offloads and passes to his teammates. Orie will shoulder some of the blame for the inaccuracies in the lineout, but otherwise it was an encouraging shift. 7

Stellar Test debut

4 Jean Kleyn: A titanic Springbok debut from the former Ireland international. Kleyn was brutally effective as he reproduced his Munster form at Loftus. He dominated just about every breakdown he entered, contested the lineout superbly and was sublime on defence. 8

3 Frans Malherbe: One or two hiccups in the scrums, but did get the upper hand overall in the clash with James Slipper. He was also excellent in the mauls and cleared out rucks well. 7

2 Bongi Mbonambi: Far from his finest lineout throwing performance and was too slow to the loose ball that led to Australia’s first try. He did carry strongly and was part of the scrum that had the upper hand, but he will want to improve from here. 6

1 Steven Kitshoff: A trademark Kitshoff performance as he put the pressure on Allan Alaalatoa in the scrums, tackled well, won a turnover and carried abrasively.

Replacements: Positive contributions all around from the bench as they turned the screws on the Wallabies and piled on the pressure. Grant Williams caused Eddie Jones’ charge several issues, while RG Snyman made a notable impact on his return to Test rugby. 8

SharBok Ratings:

Australia struggled to execute their game plan effectively, with numerous individual errors such as forward passes and knock-ons. They attempted to involve their wingers through flat passes out wide to bypass the Springbok defence, but it didn't work well.

The Springbok backline, led by Adrense, capitalized on their opportunities and converted them into tries. They showcased good passing skills and demonstrated their ability to play a running game.

While the forwards seemed a bit disjointed, the backs performed well.

15 Willie le Roux: 8

The partnership between Le Roux and Libbok was highly expansive, and it was great to see both of them on the field at the same time. Having two playmakers conducting the attack provided numerous options and increased the scoring potential for the Springboks. They have the ability to turn possession and territorial dominance into points.

14 Canan Moodie: 6

Moodie may not possess the necessary pace to excel as an internal winger. It might be beneficial for him to shift to the outside center position where he can make better use of his offload and playmaking skills.

13 Lukhanyo Am: 6.5

Am was involved in several attacking moves and displayed solidity in defence.

12 Andre Esterhuizen: 8.5

Esterhuizen delivered his best performance for the Springboks to date, and his display will undoubtedly put pressure on Delande. He showcased his usual power, but also demonstrated his playmaking ability at the test level.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: 10

Arendse boasts an impressive try-scoring rate, and he and Kolbe are likely to be first-choice starters in the Springbok team. Arendse came close to scoring a fourth try, which ultimately became a penalty try.

10 Manie Libbok: 8

Libbok is perhaps the most expansive flyhalf the Boks have had in a long time, if not ever. His passing skills are exceptional. Although he had a few poor kicks out of hand, his goal-kicking was great.

9 Cobus Reinach: 7

Reinach provided a solid performance, although he seemed slightly out of position at a few rucks.

8 Duane Vermeulen: 6.5

Vermeulen delivered a solid performance and remains a strong contender for a first-choice spot in the Springbok team.

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: 6.5

Du Toit's performance seems to be improving, despite having two tries disallowed due to hold-ups. He did make a good few errors, but his work rate is increasing. 

6 Marco van Staden: 8

This was van Staden's best game for the Springboks. A solid all-around player. 

5 Marvin Orie: 7

Orie also had his best game for the Springboks, but concerns were raised about the lineout, particularly with inconsistent throwing from Bongi. However, Orie displayed good skill with offloads and running lines in attacking movements, contributing to a high-tempo game.

4 Jean Kleyn: 7

Kleyn proved to be a solid player, and it will be interesting to see how he performs with more game time and becomes more familiar with the team's systems and combinations.

3 Frans Malherbe: 6.5

Malherbe delivered a performance that his father and Meyer Bosman's mother would be proud of.

2 Bongi Mbonambi: 5

Mbonambi's lineout performance was hit or miss, and he didn't have much involvement elsewhere.

1 Steven Kitshoff: 7

Kitshoff provided a solid overall performance.

Substitutes:

Grant Williams - 9

Williams brings a high-tempo game with quick and accurate passing. He is also very skilled at making breaks around the fringes of rucks. His unpredictable style makes him difficult to defend against, as he has the ability to exploit all available options.

Synman: 8

Synman looked impressive coming off the bench and improved as the match progressed.

Damien Willemse: 6.5

Willemse was out of position on the last Australian try, which is concerning when he plays at 15 as the last line of defence. He performs better at 10 or ideally 12.

Kurt Lee Arendse was the undoubted star with his finishing but outside of him, most impressive players for me were Andre Esterhuizen at inside centre and Grant Williams at scrumhalf off the bench.

Agreed Arendse, Esterhozen and Williams. Vermeulen was way better than in recent games while still not the old Thor and van Staden was impressive

Orie was surprisingly good too...linked more than a few passes.

Bongi and Orie missed a number of line outs. Normal Bongi is rock solid with his throws. Yes, Orie got his hands on the ball a lot, but never got over the advantage line. So both to me get a 5. But Bongi actually a 3 if it was for that scoring pass. 

Pieter Steph was a bit disappointing, got around the park but seem to me to be a bit clumsy. Got moved to lock in 2nd half with Roos coming in at 7. 

Vermeulen seemed very pedestrian to me and no explosion off the back of the scum. Just think we would have done better with Roose exploding off the back. 

Grant had an amazing break with his speed and really kept the wobblies honest. What a relief to see a scrummy that can exploit the fringes. 

Moodie had an okay game but leaked the first try. Can't say he set the world alight. 

People are over reacting to Arendse tries, 2 of them were straight forward run in where the other he did really well to evade the defence. 

Grant Esterhuizen was on fire today. Skittling the wobblies at will, broke the line and had amazing distribution. Really quick hands. We don't see that from Dud. Definitely my 12 fore the boks over dud. 

My only question is who should the boks leave out of the World Cup. Boks are only picking 3 centres as Willemse and Pollard can both cover 12. Kriel can cover wing and full back. 

Not sure he'll get on the plane unless Damian has a complete collapse of form which will be very unlikely 

There were several times Esterhozen made key passes, Dud would have taken contact. It was liberating to see our backline making smart choices and using all the tools.

If Grant had started, the Boks would have been even more expansive. It is good to have players that can run and pass as it gives so many options on attack, and keeps the defence guessing. 

Then with the likes of Kolbe and Adrense on the wing, the Boks are going to score points when they have inside players like Leroux, Grant Williams, Libbock and Esterhuizen and AM. 

Aussie was uncharacteristically poor...WTH?

The baseline for the Boks was a 6.