Esterhuizen a diamond in the rough
Sharks centre enjoyed a fine debut, while many others seemed out of their depth in Washington.
Most valuable player: Andre Esterhuizen
Rating: 8/10
Esterhuizen announced his arrival in the Test arena in no uncertain terms. He was devastating on attack, resulting in a telling line-break as early as the second minute, and he was even better on defence with his trademark crunch tackling. He could challenge Damian de Allende and Frans Steyn for a starting berth at 12 in the England Test series.
1: Ox Nche
Rating: 4/10
It was not the best of Test debuts for the Cheetahs player, who struggled with his bind in the first half before being replaced by the more experienced Steven Kitshoff in the second half.
3: Wilco Louw
Rating: 5/10
Enduring early frustration, after twice going down on his knee in despair in the first half as the Boks struggled to gain their predicted dominance in the scrums, he recovered very well before he was finally substituted by big Thomas du Toit.
7: Oupa Mohoje
Rating: 6/10
One of the Boks’ better forwards on the day, he was often used as a ball-carrier to enable the team to get over the advantage line, and he remained a good alternative option in the Boks’ attacking lineout.
11: Makazole Mapimpi
Rating: 6/10
Another Bok winger who scored a try on debut, he was sound in general. He was also tested under the high ball but passed the test with flying colours, though he missed one clearance kick early on when he slipped in the wet conditions.
2: Chiliboy Ralepelle
Rating: 6/10
Displaying his vast experience, Ralapelle impressed with his ability to clean out at rucktime. His lineout throw-ins and general play were also more than adequate.
4: Jason Jenkins
Rating: 6/10
One of the Boks’ best players, he announced his arrival on the Test scene in the first half with a crunching tackle which allowed flyhalf Jantjies to kick the Boks’ first points. He maintained a big physical presence throughout the match.
8: Dan du Preez
Rating: 4/10
Flexing his muscles on defence, he produced good support for the Boks in their driving play and mauling without really standing out. He is perhaps still trying to find his feet at Test level but is showing good promise.
13: Jesse Kriel
Rating: 4/10
While he exerted pressure in the rush defence, it was not a great performance by one of the more experienced players. Turning out in his 30th Test, he made several handling errors and was too slow to clear a ruck ball which led to Wales’ opening try.
5: Pieter-Steph du Toit
Rating: 5/10
Not as visible as he has been in some of his earlier Tests, probably due to the added responsibility of the captaincy, he still managed to run the lineouts well, and he was used as one of the Boks’ leading ball-carriers.
9: Ivan van Zyl
Rating: 5/10
Despite showing some good touches, he was inconsistent. Van Zyl should have kicked himself, rather than passing to Robert du Preez late in the game, but his clearance from the base of the scrum was generally crisp.
14: Travis Ismaiel
Rating: 5/10
Scoring a great try on debut, he used his opportunity after the Bok defence put the Welsh under pressure. He also showed intent by contesting well at the breakdowns, though a shoulder injury hampered him later in the game.
6: Kwagga Smith
Rating: 6/10
After a fairly quiet first half, when he left proceedings for a short while to have a concussion test, he impressed with his high workrate and speed on the ball. He also contested well at the breakdowns.
10: Elton Jantjies
Rating: 5/10
Apart from one poorly executed kick in the second half, Jantjies showed good composure to guide an otherwise inexperienced backline. He made some good decisions on attack, but he still missed the odd tackle or two.
15: Curwin Bosch
Rating: 5/10
After overcooking a touchline kick early in the game, he recovered well and found some great distances with his exits. His defence also improved quite a bit as the game wore on but still remains a work in progress.