15. Willie le Roux: 8
Oozed class all game with his lines of running. He made more metres than anyone on the field, scared Samoa every time he had the ball but it was his unpredictability that did the most damage. The Springboks cannot afford to spend another minute without him on the field.
14. JP Pietersen: 8.5
The perfect day for Pietersen and a vintage performance to boot. A classy hat trick and looked tirelessly for work in the midfield.
13. Jean de Villiers: 7
Defensively De Villiers was a lot stronger than last weekend and he linked play much more efficiently. His final pass for Pietersen’s second try was dreamy but he was still not back to his best and his broken jaw that has forced him to retire from international rugby is a very sad way to end the career of such a distinguished servant of South African Rugby.
12. Damian de Allende: 8
An absolute monster in attack and defence. Every time he carried the ball on the gain line he made significant metres and every time he defended on the gainline he did the same. We also saw the fleet of foot that De Allende has in his armoury.
11. Bryan Habana: 7.5
Where was this Habana last week? Constantly looking for work off his wing, he made clever metres from the base of rucks and off the shoulder of the centres. A deserved try at the death. The Springboks will need this type of performance more consistently from the elusive winger.
10. Handre Pollard: 7
The South African fly-half conundrum continues. Pollard played on the gainline but with the fizzing quick ball that he was getting off nearly every breakdown from Fourie de Preez he should have opened up the Samoan defence more often. Again, his kicking was indifferent both from hand and the tee. Needs to add some polish to his game to move to the next level.
9. Fourie de Preez: 9
Was I watching the 2007 World Cup on Saturday? Du Preez rolled back the years with an inspired performance. His service was immaculate and he got his short ball runners hitting the gain line hard. Varied his game beautifully and every box kick gave the Bok wingers a chance to recover possession. Renaissance man.
1. Tendai Mtawarira: 7
Solid if not spectacular. Held his side of the scrum together and did all that was asked of him. A few carries but the cry of ‘BEAST’ was not heard enough times around Villa Park.
2. Adriaan Strauss: 7.5
Hit his men in the line-out with precision and ease and offered more than his fair share in the loose with some big carries. Justified his selection over Bismarck.
3. Jannie du Plessis: 5
A poor showing from Du Plessis. He didn’t win the battle at scrum time and gave away some really unnecessary penalties. His place in the team could well be at risk.
4. Eben Etzebeth: 8.5
What an athlete this guy is. He also has the hands of a classically trained pianist. Linked play with flair and one pass that almost set up Willie le Roux for a try will have had any purist purring. The only reason I can’t score him higher is because of the bar set by Victor Matfield.
5. Victor Matfield: 9
The old war horse showed his younger counterparts how to dominate a line out and how to make an impact in open play. Stole numerous Samoan line outs and made big gains with ball in hand. World class performance.
6. Francois Louw: 7.5
Louw’s reaction to his insipid performance the previous week was exactly what Heyneke Meyer had asked for. An absolute nuisance at the breakdown, he worked in tandem with Schalk Burger to produce the quick ball that allowed Fourie de Preez to orchestrate the back line.
7. Schalk Burger: 8.5
Big games need big game players and that is exactly what Burger is. Carried two men on his back for his try and was brutal in his defensive approach. More comfortable with the freedom of playing on the flank.
8. Duane Vermeulen: 7
Vermeulen has had a lengthy lay off with injury and it showed. Slightly off the pace, he didn’t have the impact that he normally would. He showed glimpses of his best without really doing anything wrong. The fact that South Africa had an out and out number eight on the field helped the balance of the back row immeasurably.
Replacements: 7
Schalk Brits nabbed a try and Jesse Kriel looked lively when he came on, sidestepping and beating defenders. Frans Malherbe was an absolute revelation when coming on for Du Plessis, shoring up the scrum and playing out of his skin in the loose. Lood de Jager continued Matfield’s excellent work in the line-out whilst all other subs made appearances too late to make any real impact.
By Andy Daniel (@scrum5ive)
Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images
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