Springbok player ratings from 42-38 defeat to Wallabies in Perth
· Citizen
The Springboks lost 42-38 to the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday, after coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting XV from the side that played against, and beat, the All Blacks in Baltimore two weekends ago.
In a bizarre match, the Wallabies led 24-17 at the halftime break and then raced into a 42-17 lead, with 10 minutes remaining. Three converted tries in the dying minutes by the Boks got them to 38, before they ran out of time.
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This is how The Citizen rated the performance of the Bok players, out of 10, on Sunday.
Aphelele Fassi 5: It was an error-strewn performance by the fullback – bar one attacking run and good offload, he made a forward pass, missed a high ball and dropped a pass.
Edwill van der Merwe 7: He looked the part, once again. He was busy throughout, put in some good tackles and scored a nice try. However, he also missed a try, knocking on in-goal.
Canan Moodie 7: A mixed bag performance. He made some big tackles, often chasing back, and looked dangerous in space, but also lost a ball which led to a Wallabies try.
André Esterhuizen 6: He got better as the game went on; he made some big carries but missed a few tackles, one which led to a try. Also threw an intercept pass for a try, which was chalked off by the TMO.
Ethan Hooker 7: He continues to shine at Test level … he chased kicks and made some big tackles in a busy performance. Pity he never got more chances with ball in hand.
Handré Pollard 7: He pulled off a number of big, and crucial, tackles, often chasing back. His kicking was decent and he jumped well for high balls. He didn’t really threaten with ball in hand on attack.
Herschel Jantjies 6: He played nicely after a long absence, but was never a threat around the fringes. He made some good kicks out of hand and got his backs moving.
Marco van Staden 5: Perhaps not used to playing No 8, he made his usual carries and put in some tackles, but not as effective as other No 8s in the squad.
Elrigh Louw 6: He worked hard around the edges, and put in a number of good tackles, and stopped Wallabies players in mauls. However, he, too, failed to make big yards.
Paul de Villiers 7: A mixed bag … he was a menace at the breakdowns, winning three penalties for his team, and he carried well at times, but he also went missing at stages.
Franco Mostert 5: He took a few lineout throws aimed his way, and worked hard at the rucks and mauls, but didn’t have the impact we have become accustomed to.
Eben Etzebeth 6: He was a constant presence in the lineouts and made himself known in the rucks and mauls, but didn’t get too much carrying down. He made a few tackles.
Zachary Porthen 6: He didn’t get the edge in the scrums, which were an even contest, and also wasn’t as mobile and effective in the loose as a ball-carrier. He made a few tackles.
Johan Grobbelaar 6: He scored a try after a good driving maul and mostly found his lineout targets. Was busy in the loose, carrying and tackling well enough.
Jan-Hendrik Wessels 6: He held his own in the scrums without ever dominating, while he tried hard to get stuck in with carries and tackles.
Bench 6: In a crazy second half, the “bomb squad” initially failed to fire, but then they did, with the three front-rankers Malcolm Marx, Ox Nché, who scored a try, and Wilco Louw all playing a big role late on, especially in the scrums. Morné van den Berg was effective, upping the pace, while he also scored a try, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu also brought energy to the contest. Lood de Jager, Jasper Wiese and Quan Horn made less of an impact.