Kolisi and Mvovo pick of average Bok bunch
Willie, Eben, Frans, Adriaan have much to do this week to atone for defeat
WE run the rule over the Springboks after their disappointing 26-20 defeat to Ireland at Newlands on Saturday. Willie le Roux - 4/10: He made far too many errors and even though he tried to bring himself into the game, it didn’t work. Pointless diagonal running. And the shocking blunder when he spilt the ball into touch close to the Bok tryline was, like I said, shocking.
JP Pietersen - 5/10: He was better than he was during Super Rugby, but he also made a few mistakes, most notably missing a pass on the outside that ruined a promising scoring opportunity.
Lionel Mapoe - 6/10: Didn’t have the kind of game I was expecting. He was quite quiet on the field and his handling wasn’t always something to smile about.
Damian de Allende - 5/10: He carried his sub-par Super Rugby performances into this Test. He lacked creativity and reverted to the crash-ball tradition a few times. At least he passed the ball a bit more.
Lwazi Mvovo - 7/10: One of the very few players who kept me awake. He was great under the high ball and also put in a few great runs.
Pat Lambie - 6/10: Was only on the field for 22 minutes, so couldn’t make a big impact. One lovely drift pass to Mvovo. Bad penalty miss from straight in front, 40 metres out.
Faf de Klerk 6/10: Did a few good things, but he wasn’t the same snappy player we saw in Super Rugby. Also saved a certain try when he beat Paddy Jackson to the ball after a superb chip and chase by the Irish flyhalf.
Duane Vermeulen - 6/10: He was physical as usual, but he made a few errors and was way too upright in contact. He did neatly gather a high ball, though.
Siya Kolisi - 8/10: His ball-carrying was great. His powerful left fend that landed Jackson on his backside was one of the highlights of the game.
Francois Louw - 5/10: Another player who stunned me for all the wrong reasons. One telling turnover in front of the Irish posts early on which led to Lambie’s first penalty, but why did I not see him after that?
Lood de Jager - 5/10: He put up a physical display, but he also made a few silly mistakes, especially when he decided to pull back an opponent in the lineout five metres out from the tryline. Twice had the ball ripped out of his hands as well.
Eben Etzebeth - 4/10: Easily his most disappointing match in a Bok jersey. Gave away penalties and could not make much ground. At least he stole a couple of lineout balls.
Frans Malherbe - 4/10: I don’t quite know if the tighthead deserves this rating. Scrummed okay, but came in from the side and went off his feet too many times.
Adriaan Strauss - 4/10: Yes, his lineoutthrowing was okay. But I surely hope the Boks don’t follow this captain’s lead. Enough said? I mean, just compare him to Rory Best ...
Tendai Mtwarira - 6/10:He didn’t have a bad game. He made a few nice carries and his scrumming was powerful.
Trevor Nyakane - 5/10: The set piece seemed to change when he packed down at scrum time. And I don’t mean that in a good way. Didn’t feature much in open play.
Pieter-Steph du Toit - 7/10: He continued where he left off for the Stormers, and, of course, his intercept try showed his athleticism off the mark.
Warren Whiteley - 6/10: He was a pleasant presence. Stepped nicely past a tackle (let’s hope Duane was watching!) He showed that he can perform at Test level.
Elton Jantjies - 6/10: He delivered a beautiful inside pass to Mvovo for the Boks’ first try. That was the kind of pass you won’t get from many South African flyhaves. He also took the ball up well in typical Jantjies style, but like halfback partner De Klerk, did not quite mimic his brilliance displayed in Super Rugby.