Weakened Welsh edge battling Boks
Underwhelming tour comes to an end with yet another defeat for Coetzee’s strugglers.
Key player: Steven Kitshoff Rating: 8/10
Proving beyond doubt that he is the top loosehead in South Africa, the red-headed powerhouse simply demolished Wales tighthead prop Scott Andrews in the scrums.
He also showed great tenacity with his work outside the scrum and in defence, and he would have been named Man-of-the-Match if the Boks had won the game at the Principality Stadium.
2: Malcolm Marx Rating: 7/10
He was unfortunate not to have been awarded a legitimate try in the 20th minute when he drove over the line from the back of a maul. Again he was tenacious at the breakdowns with his superb upper-body strength, and he crossed the advantage line at will with his strong carries.
3: Wilco Louw Rating: 6/10
If there was one tighthead who matured on tour it was the Stormers strongman. He was a tower of stability, able to provide the right shoulder, and his workrate outside the scrum improved with every outing. While he remained a work in progress, Louw emerged as a tremendous talent.
4: Eben Etzebeth Rating: 6/10
It was a big loss for the team when the captain suffered a dislocated elbow towards the end of the first half, with the Bok pack threatening to take the game away from the Welsh. Etzebeth was at the forefront of the physical exchanges and the team missed him in the second half.
5: Lood de Jager Rating: 6/10
The big lineout specialist played his heart out and worked tirelessly on defence, but he battled fatigue in the second half with no more back-up locks on the bench after skipper Etzebeth’s injury. There were also a few botched lineouts from the Boks’ own throw-ins.
6: Siya Kolisi Rating: 5/10
Retaining his place as one of the Boks’ leading ball-carriers in the wider channels, he linked up as a supportive runner. Though his great talents continued to be wasted as an opensider – a role that doesn’t suit him – he stood up when he had to take over as captain in the second half.
7: Pieter-Steph du Toit Rating: 7/10
One of the Boks’ three best players on the field. After a very productive opening half, he made a smooth transition from blindside flank to lock where he replaced the injured Etzebeth, and he showed no signs of the concussion suffered earlier on tour.
8: Dan du Preez Rating: 7/10
Looking back on his first start, after debuting from the bench against Italy a week earlier, he could feel satisfied with his performance. He had a great physical impact, exposed his underrated status when it comes to ball-carrying skills, and was able to free his arms in the tackle and off-load.
9: Ross Cronje Rating: 4/10
He quickly spotted the space to find Handre Pollard for the Boks’ second try, but a poor knock-on from a high ball and slow clearing from the base continued to haunt him. He remained underrated as a spot-tackling option, however, and he delivered a high work-rate on defence.
10: Handre Pollard Rating: 5/10
Not yet where he might want to be, despite scoring one of the national team’s better tries this year, he repeatedly failed to find touch when exiting pressure situations. Pollard was unable to find the target after a Bok attacking penalty and he needed to be more accurate in his execution.
11: Warrick Gelant Rating: 5/10
Though he scored a great try in his first start, after following up a kick from centre Jesse Kriel, he was dealt an injustice by not being named in his regular position at fullback. He was often caught out of position, as he was when centre Scott Williams scored the Welsh team’s first try.
12: Francois Venter Rating: 5/10
Not as influential as he was earlier on tour, he nevertheless played a big part in organising the Bok defence after they were caught in no-man’s land when Hadleigh Parkes scored the Welsh side’s second try. His work-rate also made him a constant threat at the collisions.
13: Jesse Kriel Rating: 5/10
Despite playing one of his better Tests, he retained a lack of creativity. Kriel did, however, show vision by chipping for Gelant’s try, and he displayed power and determination in scoring the Boks’ final try after being urged by his team-mates to take a crack at the goalline.
14: Dillyn Leyds Rating: 5/10
There might be a place in international rugby for the speedy wing after all. He took it on himself to create space with an excellent linebreak for the Boks’ first try scored by Gelant, after he found Kriel on his outside, and his great vision on attack should be explored further.
15: Andries Coetzee Rating: 3/10
The fullback might have played his last game at this level. His stormeddown line clearance under pressure which directly led to Wales’ third try cost the Boks dearly, while he was constantly exposed on attack and his poor ability to seek contact again made him an easy target.