Wynona Louw rates the Boks

Elton Jantjies (l) and Francois de Klerk (r) during the Incoming Test Series rugby match between South Africa's and Ireland at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth on 25 June 2016 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Elton Jantjies (l) and Francois de Klerk (r) during the Incoming Test Series rugby match between South Africa's and Ireland at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth on 25 June 2016 ©Gavin Barker/BackpagePix

Published Jun 27, 2016

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Wynona Louw

Willie le Roux 5/10

Better than the first two Tests, but still not anywhere near his best. Erratic performance (and here I’m not only referring to his collision in the air, where he was lucky to get yellow). Sometimes he just seemed to be in the way. One good cover tackle.

Ruan Combrinck 7/10

His valuable boot was on show in PE. His strength (especially when he fended off two players before going to ground in the last quarter), power and overall skill outshone the trivial little errors. Also solid on defence.

Lionel Mapoe 4/10

The question now has to be asked: Can he make the step up to Test rugby? There was more effort this time but he missed too many tackles and conceded a few turnovers. The highlight of his game was him winning back the kickoff with 10 minutes to go.

Damian de Allende 5/10

He wasn’t South Africa’s brightest star on defence. He had a nice carry or two and we also saw some good counter-rucking. His execution of that chip kick with nine minutes to go was poor, but the idea was right and that’s what I want to see from him.

JP Pietersen 7/10

He was smart under the high ball and his awareness was good. His try, of course, was brilliant – that amazing collection of Elton’s corner kick while running at full speed was tops.

Elton Jantjies 6/10

He won’t get a gold star for his kicking, but he sprinkled a bit of magic here and there. His kick that was gathered by Pietersen was first-class. I would like to see him take the ball up at pace more.

Faf de Klerk 9/10

Why was he not man of the match? He saved two certain tries and gave superb direction to the team. One poor kick, but that was it. Besides, after that leap into the air (and what it took; the skill and hands) and that spot tackle where he came in OFF HIS MAN to save South Africa, he can be forgiven for anything.

Warren Whiteley 7/10

He was very involved and played a good linking game. He had a few nice carries and he covered multiple defenders (I think the 22 tackles he made – most in the game – says enough about his defence). Couple of mistakes, but a solid performance overall.

Siya Kolisi 6/10

He made a few telling tackles and his steal set up the ball for Pietersen’s try. Again, better than last week, but needs to have a bigger impact.

Francois Louw 6/10

When he was penalised for being off his feet at the breakdown a few seconds into the game, I thought he was in for a dreary one. But he showed that he can perform.

He still wasn’t at his best, but he contested at most breakdowns (much more so than in the first two Tests) and drove Ireland back well.

Pieter-Steph du Toit 7/10

This guy’s work-rate continues to be huge. Top display on on defence, some good carries.

Eben Etzebeth 6/10

A banker in the lineouts, and we saw more of him, but he’s not yet where he can be.

Frans Malherbe 6/10

His scrummaging was pretty good and I was pleasantly surprised when I had some ink left after writing down his penalties (he conceded far fewer than at Newlands and Ellis Park). Also more prominent in loose play.

Adriaan Strauss 6/10

He and Etzebeth made a mean lineout combination, although he sometimes dithered a bit before throwing in. His contesting at the scrums was also on point, and at last I actually saw him win an important turnover.

Tendai Mtawarira 7/10

Much better, Beast. He showed some great, pumping strength, especially early on in the game. His defence was good and this time his ball-carrying got the Boks over the advantage line.

Replacements

Bongi Mbonambi: Not enough time to be rated.

Steven Kitshoff 6/10: He showed his grit at scrum time and he played his part when it came to tackling.

Julian Redelinghuys 6/10: His first scrumming effort was also a mammoth one and he also didn’t miss his tackles.

Franco Mostert: Not enough time to be rated.

Jaco Kriel 6/10: Didn’t really get a chance to show what he can do with the ball as the Boks were forced to defend in the final minutes, but I still thought his high-energy stint was impressive.

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