Following the Springboks’ 25-24 loss to Ireland in Durban on Saturday, here is how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges.
Springboks player ratings v Ireland
23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Willie le Roux lasted just two minutes before he got his tackle all wrong, prompting an HIA – which he failed – and pretty much a first start for Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The rookie back took his chance with both hands. He sparked the Springboks into life with his brilliance with ball in hand and threw his weight around on defence. 7
14 Cheslin Kolbe: A quieter performance from the double World Cup winner compared to last week but did manage to skin Jamie Osborne and remain tight on defence. 5
13 Jesse Kriel: Continues his excellent form in the Bok jersey proving to be a nightmare to attack against and just as potent with ball in hand. He even managed to be a pest at the breakdown. 7
12 Damian de Allende: His new passing-heavy role means he is not charging into the opposition’s defence as often as he usually does, but it was still a solid performance from the powerhouse 12. 6
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Committed and effective as per usual and made great decisions with ball in hand. He was strong defensively, too. 6
Half-backs
10 Handré Pollard: Frankly, it was a poor opening 40 minutes for the veteran number 10, but in the second half, he rekindled the form that steered the Springboks to back-to-back World Cup titles. He took charge of proceedings and resorted to the Boks’ kick-heavy and excellent chase tactics. He nailed his kicks too, and almost sealed the win. 6
9 Faf de Klerk: A forgettable performance from the livewire half-back who kicked poorly and made a mighty mare with a shocking kick a metre from the try-line before he was hooked. Energetic and strong on defence, but that was one of the few positives. 2
Back-rowers
8 Kwagga Smith: Denied a try by a fantastic cover tackle by Osborne after he pounced on Pieter-Steph du Toit’s charge down. There was no hint of his highball troubles extending into this fixture as the brilliant back-rower put in a sterling and all-action performance. He was guilty of a few penalties but that happens when playing on the edge. 7
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Yet another peerless performance from the world-class back-row. It was a poor first half from the Boks overall, but that was not Du Toit’s doing as he hammered into the Irish attack, applied pressure with every opportunity and was absolutely everywhere. His tackle on Caelan Doris before half-time was simply outrageous and a game-changer. 8
6 Siya Kolisi (c): Not as a box-office as was last week, but as my colleague noted earlier this week, reports of him being ‘fat and transparent’ are grossly exaggerated. He was strong with the few carries he did get and excellent in defence. 6
Ciaran Frawley drop goals stun Springboks as Ireland level series in Durban epic
Tight five
5 Franco Mostert: Lasted just 17 minutes, shedding blood before being forced off the pitch a troublesome injury that will have the Springboks’ staff sweating over his fitness. 5
4 Eben Etzebeth: In the wars, visited the blood bin and returned to pick up where he left off. Insane work-rate throughout as he constantly attempted to charge down the kickers, thundered into Irish defenders and threw his body in tackles. 7
3 Frans Malherbe: Targetted the Irish attack around the fringes, but he managed to deal with it rather well and got one back over Andrew Porter after he was bettered in the scrums last week. 6
2 Bongi Mbonambi: Strong in the scrums, but the lineout went wayward the further his game went on. Aggressive in defence but offered little elsewhere. 5
1 Ox Nche: Phenomenal in the scrum, comfortably getting the better of Tadhg Furlong in the set-piece and was even more effective around the park in an outrageous performance. Huge hits, great cover play on a kick, carried strongly and was just all-court. 8
Replacements: The Springboks needed a big second-half performance, and they almost did to get to secure a 2-0 series victory. Grant Williams was sensational after Faf’s blunder while RG Snyman played pretty much the entire game and well. Malcolm Marx was superb and so were his fellow replacement. The ‘Bomb Squad’ almost got the job done. 7