mens
international
Springboks Player Ratings: One of the most experimental Springbok 23s assembled by Rassie Erasmus in recent memory arrived in Perth with enough star power to suggest they would still be too much for Australia.
Instead, a side featuring Eben Etzebeth, Handre Pollard and Andre Esterhuizen looked rather leggy and unresponsive when the Wallabies poured it on. South Africa lost the aerial battle, coughed up too many inaccuracies and never established the kind of scrum dominance they usually rely on.
A frantic finish, with help Australia down to 11 men, threatened an unlikely comeback, but the Wallabies held on for a dramatic 42-38 win.
1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 6
He found himself in an impossible position trying to stop Len Ikitau’s first attempt on 24 minutes and was always fighting a losing battle there. Busted well enough without getting the edge the South African fans expected and went through his business before being emptied with the rest of the front row.
2. Johan Grobbelaar – 7.5
The Bulls Hooker got out of a catch-and-drive maul after nine minutes and for a while it looked very simple for the Boks. Reliable at times and busy around the park before heading off early in the second half.
3. Zachary Porthen – 6
An unusual trip. There was some sloppy carrying, while a few dominant moves caught the eye. Ali popped up noticeably in the second clash and there were a few moments where things unraveled around him as well, but the good outweighed the bad.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 7
Known disturbance of 120 kg. He made life difficult for Australia on the line, dived on a loose ball after causing havoc and went through a mountain of invisible graft. One of the few Springboks who consistently looked capable of swinging the fight in their favour.
5. Franko Mostert – 6
He drove himself into the ground in the trenches along Etzebeth. He was heavily involved defensively and as industrious as ever, although he lost his line to a fine steal from Jeremy Williams just before the hour mark.
6. Paul de Villiers – 7
I couldn’t have asked for a better start. He got a turn on Max Jorgensen inside three minutes to earn Pollard’s opening penalty and was heavily involved at the breakdown in the first half. He came out of the proceedings somewhat as Australia’s confidence grew.
7. Elrigh Louw – 5.5
They put in a lot of defensive work but looked a little light when the Wallabies started to get up through the middle of the park. He never imposed himself physically in the way South Africa needed him to.
8. Marko van Staden – 5
He got into tackles and never stopped working, but offered very little as a ball-carrying threat. The Wallabies were too often able to control the collisions and this greatly reduced his impact.
9. Herschel Jantjies – 6
Perfectly usable, without threatening to take the game by the hair. He made a nice break early in the second half but generally lacked a little of the sniping spark that made him such an exciting player early in his Test career.
10. Handre Pollard – 6
Standard, perfectly acceptable Pollard edits. He kicked his goals, opened the scoring after de Villiers lost and tried a clever grubber. Controlled things pretty well before getting going shortly after the break but never managed to dictate terms.
11. Ethan Hooker – 5.5
We spent the afternoon looking for work and there was no shortage of effort. He made good yards with the ball in hand and broke through a few times, but his distribution was lacking and three penalties awarded before 50 minutes hurt his side.
12. Andre Esterhuizen (c) – 6
Some typically thunderous ‘Andre the Giant’ figures in the middle of the pitch and playing fighting throughout. However, South African supporters are used to seeing him leave much bigger dents in opposition defenses and Australia have largely won the midfield battle. His intercepted pass with the Wallabies on 12 looked to have ended the contest before a high ball review gave the Boks fresh hope.
13. Canan Moodie – 6.5
One of South Africa’s better defenders. He produced a great tackle on Ben Donaldson after just two minutes and later sparked the visitors’ best try from 20 meters out before linking brilliantly with Fassi. Unfortunately, a sloppy pass in the 65th minute allowed Max Jorgensen a direct run-in from distance.
14. Edwill van der Merwe – 7
He finished his first try brilliantly after slick work from Moodie and Fassi and was one of the few Bok full-backs to look genuinely dangerous when sniffed at. The problem was that opportunities were few and far between. He thought he had a second on 72 minutes only to have it ruled out.
15. Aphelele Fassi – 4.5
One of those days. His failure under a high ball against Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii opened the way for Ikitau’s second try and he later dropped a very catchable pass in midfield. There were some good touches, including a nice delayed assist for Van der Merwe and a sharp break early in the second half, but the mistakes were simply too costly.
Substitutions – 5
The much vaunted Bomb Squad never came close to detonating. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu immediately added some attacking spark and produced an excellent touchfinder after entering the fray, while Morne van den Berg grabbed a late try and Ox Nche and Wilco Louw eventually forced a penalty from the scrum. Lood de Jager cheekily spilled the line under pressure almost immediately after coming on and Quan Horn endured a torrid time, losing a contested ball to Jorgensen before struggling defensively to two Wallabies scores. Malcolm Marx made it tough late on, but by then Australia had their blood. Even with the Wallabies reduced to 11 men and South Africa throwing everything at them, the bench could not produce the kind of sustained momentum that has become his trademark.
