Rugby writer Wynona Louw rates the Bok players’performance against the Barbarians.
Jesse Kriel 5/10: Showed good hands to get the ball to Jamba Ulengo, who made a good run after a Bok scrum. Dodgy touch finder before halftime. A few good runs, but not very effective overall.
Sergeal Petersen 4.5: He was a bit disappointing in his Bok outing, although he tried. Lost the ball forward just before halftime and handed the Baa-Baas a scrum which almost resulted in another try. He was poor on defence, and that Taqele Naiyaravoro fend that sent him flying was horrible to see.
Francois Venter 6.5: Made a great break in the first few minutes. Had a good game in midfield, although there were a few errors. A number of good runs.
Rohan Janse van Rensburg 7.5: Crashed through the Barbarians’ defence a number of times.
Showed his power with a massive break after a Bok lineout in opposition 22. And he did it again to set up Petersen’s try. I thoroughly enjoyed it when he ran the ball a metre or two from his own tryline in the second quarter. He also showed his flair under the high ball and his ability to accelerate in the last 20. Missed a few tackles. Beautiful run for that last try.
Jamba Ulengo 7: Looked threatening early on with a promising run after a Bok scrum. Delayed a Baa-Baas try with a kick from his own tryline, but the Barbarians got the try a few seconds later. Slipped a high ball in the last quarter. Beat a few defenders. Powerful barging run played a key role in the last Bok try. Very physical in the tackle.
Pat Lambie 5: He wasn’t at his best, especially in the first half as it took him a while to get into the game. Clever grubber into touch that gained some good ground for the Boks in the first quarter. Exciting run after a Bok scrum before halftime (and that offload was good to see). A couple of misdirected passes.
Rudy Paige 6.5: Very good start. Crisp passing, good runs and some strong tackling. His distribution was solid. Knocked the ball on in the Baa-Baas red zone just before halftime. Lost the ball in the tackle. I don’t know WHAT that clearance kick was from his own tryline in the last quarter.
Nizaam Carr 6.5: Gained some good ground. He tackled and carried the ball well. Lovely hands in the last try.
Oupa Mohoje 5.5: What a feeling it was seeing this man step and swerve past a number of defenders. And the fact that he held the ball in one hand added to the appeal, of course. But he didn’t have a fantastic game in general. Made a few carries.
Roelof Smit 7: Won a number of turnover balls, including a vital one to relieve some pressure off the Springboks just before halftime. He of course gets a bonus-point for that try.
Pieter-Steph du Toit 6: SUPERBLY scored the Boks’ first try after a lineout and a brief driving maul. One lineout fumble when he lost control of the ball just before halftime (the Barbarians, of course, capitalised). And that wasn’t the only time he lost the ball. The ball was ripped from him in the tackle just too easily, early in the second half. Knocked on in the in-goal area in the third quarter.
RG Snyman 5.5: Produced an impressive offload in the Springboks’ firing period in the second quarter. Secured a number of balls in the lineout. Was physical when he needed to be.
Lourens Adriaanse 6: Not a great performance in open play, but he dominated Reggie Goodes in the scrum several times.
Malcolm Marx 6: Not his best performance, but his lineout throws couldn’t be faulted. Made some massive hits on defence.
Tendai Mtawarira 5: Strong scrummaging, but that was about all he contributed to the game.
Bongi Mbonambi 5: Struggled at the lineouts a bit, but he had a few nice touches in open play.
Trevor Nyakane 6: He took control of the scrums well. Also worked away from the set-piece.
Eben Etzebeth 5: Made some very strong carries, but the wait for the real Eben continues.
Jean-Luc du Preez 5.5: Didn’t really make an impact, but he did contribute to some of the behind-the-scenes work.
Ruan Combrinck 6: He played with intent and at pace, but he didn’t get enough ball to work with.
Cape Times