| No. | South Africa | Rating | New Zealand | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tendai Mtawarira – A very strong performance from the Beast last week including scrums, carries and tackles. Will fancy his chances against Owen Franks. | 8 | Joe Moody – Making his first start for the All Blacks, Moody is a surprise inclusion. There to get experience in the big matches, could be a weak link. | 6.5 |
| 2. | Bismarck du Plessis – Came on last week and made an immediate impact setting up Jean de Villiers’ first try. Outrageously strong and is a real nuisance. | 9 | Keven Mealamu – Superb game against Argentina from the seemingly immortal Kiwi. | 7.5 |
| 3. | Jannie du Plessis – Like the Beast, a solid game against Australia for the tighthead. Contributed to the win with a number of tackles. | 7 | Owen Franks – It seems like all the front rows in action last week had impressive games. Had the upper-hand in the scrum and made 10 tackles. | 7.5 |
| 4. | Eben Etzebeth – Etzebeth had a much better showing against Australia with a home crowd behind him. Needs to perform like that again. | 8 | Jeremy Thrush -Losing Brodie Rettalick is a big blow and Thrush is always going to struggle to fill those boots. Needs to work hard in attack. | 6.5 |
| 5. | Victor Matfield -Like his partner-in-crime, the evergreen lock performed better in front of a home crowd. Still the main man in the lineout. | 7 | Sam Whitelock – Might as well have had 7 on his shirt last week. A stalwart in the team at 25 and needs to do the same again in the absence of Retallick. | 8.5 |
| 6. | Marcell Coetzee – One of the players of the Championship. Can fit in at 6 or 7 with ease and still plays superbly. | 8 | Jerome Kaino – Ran riot against Argentina and is showing the sort of form before he went to Japan. Should be a backrow war against Coetzee and co. | 8 |
| 7. | Oupa Mohoje – Didn’t do a huge amount against Australia to justify his selection into the starting lineup. In for a tough day at the office. | 6 | Richie McCaw (c) – Not as good as he once was and he’s finally started to get penalised. Still a great leader though and pulls it out of the bag when he needs to. | 7.5 |
| 8. | Duane Vermeulen/Schalk Burger – All dependent on whether Vermuelen is fit enough or not. Been brilliant this Championship and South Africa need it one last time. | 8.5 | Kieran Read – A super carrier of the ball and some of the best hands you will ever see on a rugby player. He makes this team tick. | 8.5 |
| 9. | Francois Hougaard – When his forwards give him a good platform and quick ball, Hougaard is up there with the best. Unfortunately for him, he may not have an armchair ride this week. | 7 | Aaron Smith – Covers well in defence, supports well in attack, and is a lovely passer of the ball. Will have to watch out for Bismarck bullying him. | 8 |
| 10. | Handre Pollard – I know they’re blooding the youngster but Pollard has struggled this campaign. His forwards are going to have to protect him like never before. | 6.5 | Beauden Barrett – You like to think that if Barrett has a good game against a team like South Africa, the 10 jersey is his. Relaxed on the ball and has the ability to break from anywhere. | 8.5 |
| 11. | Bryan Habana – Quick and dangerous, the winger shows no sign of slowing down with age. Always committed to the cause. | 8.5 | Julian Savea – He really isn’t far off Jonah Lomu in his prime. Has the whole package; speed, strength, hands, power. | 9 |
| 12. | Jean de Villiers (c) – The captain led from the front last week and his efforts were duly rewarded with two tries. Powerful in defence and with the ball. | 8 | Malakai Fekitoa – Quickly adapting to test rugby and looking at home. Faces strongest test to date against JdV but he has the ability to come out on top. | 8 |
| 13. | Jan Serfontein – Looking very assured in attack but has to work harder so that he’s not isolated in defence. We could see a lot of attackers coming his way. | 7 | Conrad Smith – We’ve seen Smith in better form but there’s no doubting that he still has it. A devastating attacker when given half a chance. | 7.5 |
| 14. | Cornal Hendricks – A different winger to Savea entirely but still superb all the same. A great finisher but will have his work cut out against his opposite man. | 8 | Ben Smith – Scored his first try of the Championship last week but that doesn’t matter. Always gains yards with the ball that set up countless tries. | 8.5 |
| 15. | Willie le Roux – A devastating counter-attacker and has kicking skills like no other player. Will thrive on a broken field. | 8.5 | Israel Dagg – Hard to think that Dagg was dropped at the start of the campaign after last week’s performance. Everything he touched turned to points. | 8.5 |
| TOTAL | 114 | 119 |
PREDICTION
If this match is half as good as last year’s Ellis Park spectacular then we are for one hell of a contest. In theory, with the Championship wrapped up, both sides should be throwing caution to the wind and attacking at any possibly opportunity.
South Africa may have the upper hand in the pack but only by the slimmest of margins, and New Zealand’s backs should run riot given the chance. Expect tries, bust-ups, controversy and a game to remember. New Zealand by 15.
By Calum Gillon (@C_Gillon)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
With hindsight, is Pollard still only worth 6.5? Not bad for a youngster!