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Springbok player ratings
Springbok player ratings v New Zealand (5/7/08)
15. Conrad Jantjes (6)
It was an assured performance from the fullback who looked dangerous on attack when he came up into the line. He was mostly solid on defence and took a good few up-and-unders.
14. Odwa Ndungane (4)
Ndungane didn’t have much chance to shine on attack in the tight affair, but was solid on defence until Jerome Kaino went over for his try. He was peppered with kicks to his wing and came up trumps in defence, but was never a threat on attack.
13. Adrian Jacobs (6.5)
Jacobs returned to the Bok side amid much talk that he would be run ragged by Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu in particular. His midfield channel was targeted as suspected, and apart for one clear break from Ma’a Nonu, he stood up surprisingly well for a lighter man. He tried to get involved and replicate the creative edge he showed in his game against the Welsh, but the All Blacks were an all too different proposition. He did however create the space for Jean de Villiers to make his break that lead to the Boks' solo try.
12. Jean de Villiers (7.5)
Great game from the Stormers centre. He was the shining light for the Boks on attack, and it was his break and pass that lead to Bryan Habana’s try in the first half. He was industrious and never stopped trying.
11. Bryan Habana (5)
Habana enjoyed a mixed bag on the day. He scored a good try, and was always involved, but made some basic handling errors and some poor kicks to touch.
10. Butch James (3)
With the whole of South Africa singing his praises after the first two Test of the season, Butch had an absolute shocker in his biggest Test back for the Boks so far. His goal-kicking was poor; kicking one of three, and his option taking was below-par. He also lacked the maturity he had shown against Wales, and brought back a few of his unwanted shoulder chargesinto his game. A frustrating game for him.
9. Ricky Januarie (6.5)
A nuggety, industrious display from the scrumhalf, who was constantly in the All Black’s faces. He took some good options, and was strong on defence.
8. Joe van Niekerk (5)
Joe came back into the side, but didn’t have the impact many expected. He was put under sever pressure at the back of the scrum. He did manage to cross the advantage line on a few occasions, but was rather average.
7. Juan Smith (5)
He was abrasive on defence as usual, but needs to stand up more in the bigger games.
6. Schalk Burger (7)
Had a huge game as always. The blonde flanker never tired, and was one of the few Boks who kept bashing at the All Blacks defence. He was a solid performer in his first run-on Test back from injury.
5. Victor Matfield (4.5)
He stood in as skipper again when John Smit hobbled off at the end of the first half. He was not the supreme force that he usually is at line-out time, and was given a hard time by the All Black jumpers. The rule of no numbers in the line-out seemed to unsettle the Bok veteran, who played the new ELVs for the first time today. He also rushed up in defence which lead the Jerome Kaino’s try.
4. Bakkies Botha (6.5)
Was a bit stronger at the line-outs, and was immense on defence.
3. CJ van der Linde (5.5)
Brought some solidity to the scrum, and did well.
2. John Smit (5)
He hobbled off injured after 37 minutes, and his cool head was missed in the second half.
1 Gurthro Steenkamp (5.5)
Had a tough tussle in the scrums, and while the All Black front-row may have shaded the Boks at this set-piece, the Bok front row did not disgrace themselves, particularly in difficult playing conditions.
Reserves:
16. Bismarck du Plessis (4.5)
Came on for Smit just before half-time and his line-out throws were poor. He however kept the scrum solid, and was a beefy presence on defence.
17. Brian Mujati (5)
Replaced Van der Linde and did well for the time he was on in the second half. He will continue grow as a front-ranker the more game-time he is exposed to.
18. Andries Bekker (4)
Came on for Bakkies Botha late on and failed to make much of an impression.
19. Luke Watson (5)
Replaced Van Niekerk in the 58th minute, and did fair work, if not flash.
20. Bolla Conradie
He came on late for Januarie, but was not on long enough to earn a rating.
21. Frans Steyn (6)
Replaced an out-of-sorts Butch James in the second half, and added some zip and energy to the Boks play. He also attempted an audacious drop kick that just landed under the crossbar.
22. Percy Montgomery (5.5)
The only man in the entire squad to have tasted success in New Zealand ten years ago, came on for Conrad Jantjes with 20 minutes to go, and did a few good things from the back. He was largely tasked with getting South Africa out of trouble, and a few tactical kicks to the corner were his sole contributions. The 97-Test veteran should be afforded more game time at fullback, with Jantjes able to replace Ndungane on the wing.
SARugby.com's best player of the match: Jean de Villiers (7.5)
Aggregate score: 5.9/ 10
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