Junior Springboks player ratings vs England | World Rugby U20 Championship

It was a display where the Boks showed some lethal pace out wide to complement some brutality up front.

The two sides could well meet again in a matter of days in the final, and if so, England will be wary of some of the threats South Africa possess.

Here’s how the players rated:

15 Gilermo Mentoe – 7
Showed his searing pace straight away when hacking a loose England pass away. This pace was on show throughout the match, even after coming back on following a head injury. On hand to score the Boks’ third after a slick attack.

14 Cheswill Jooste – 9
Picked a perfect line and backed it up with spellbinding pace and footwork to score South Africa’s opening try from 40 metres out against the run of play. That solo try put the England defence on red alert for the rest of the match as he continued to terrorise their defence. Described as ‘Cheslin-esque’ on commentary and had pace that appeared to be a step above anyone else on the field.

13 Gino Cupido – 7
The only change to the starting XV, the Blitzbokke representative needed little space to punish the English defence. Showed some elite passing to go with his runs as well, particularly in the build up to his side’s third try with a 20 metre + pass. Had a tough time handling England’s Jack Bracken, as did many of his team-mates, and was yellow carded for making head contact with the wing.

12 Albie Bester – 7
A dependable option to carry when England were putting pressure on the Boks. May not have had any flashy breaks like his team-mates outside him had, but rolled his sleeves up with some tough carries. Possibly could have held off in defence as England broke from deep to score their second try to cover Ben Redshaw.

11 Siyabonga Ndlozi – 6
Left the field with a hamstring injury after only a quarter of the match. A quiet display.

10 Vusi Moyo – 7.5
Put under a lot of pressure early on by the England defence, who limited his time and space, and mistakes followed as a result. When he was afforded time, he moved the ball nicely. Not perfect from the tee, but very strong nevertheless, including one monster penalty.

9 Haashim Pead – 9
Guilty on a number of occasions of some loose passing, but that was in part down to the pace he was trying to play with. That attitude benefitted his side for the Boks’ second try as he sniped to cross the line. Added to his haul with a sensational solo effort from deep within his half to stretch his side’s lead in the second half.

1 Simphiwe Ngobese – 5
Totally manhandled by England’s Billy Sela on one occasion early in match, but tightened up in the scrum as the half developed. Found himself in a similar position at the beginning of the second half, though he did fire back with his own strong scrum.

2 Siphosethu Mnebelele – 8
Fantastic work rate in such heat both sides of the ball, notably a kick chase in the second half where he was able to level England full-back Josh Bellamy. Just one tackle as he topped his side’s tackle count during his time on the field. Not plain sailing in the lineout – one not straight throw and was put under pressure by England’s jumpers. Played 72 minutes, which was some shift.

3 Herman Lubbe – 5.5
Targeted in defence as England scored their second try, as the tighthead’s attempt to put a shot on the wrong man opened a gap for the reigning champions to cut through. Held up his side of the scrum, though his side were on the back foot during his 50 minutes on the field.

4 Riley Norton – 8.5
Huge lineout steal with 20 minutes remaining when England were in a promising position in the Bok 22. The captain led from the front defensively, putting in a match-leading 13 tackles in what was a ferocious effort.

5 JJ Theron – 6
Covered a lot of the ground during his 56 minutes on the field, and his eyes would have lit up when he was on hand for a break, only to knock the ball on. One of many Boks that were slow to the breakdown in the first half as England were able to win plenty of turnovers.

6 Xola Nyali – 8
A great source of metres around the ruck with some hard carries. But it was actually his footwork before contact that proved so problematic for England. Had a fair amount of success on the floor as well, winning a penalty in the second half. A needless penalty taking a player out in the air blotted his record slightly, as did a late penalty for being offside.

7 Bathobele Hlekani – 7.5
Made his presence felt in defence, including one huge shot on Olamide Sodeke to force a knock on. Had his share of massive carries too.

8 Wandile Mlaba – 7
Direct and reliable carrying in the tight, though he was not able to trouble the England defence like his back-row comrades.

Replacements
16 Jaundré Schoeman – 6
Only given eight minutes at the end of the match.

17 Oliver Reid – 6
Penalised at one scrum after coming on as the loosehead position continued to be troublesome for the Boks.

18 Jean Erasmus – 8
South Africa’s scrum improved immeasurably after his entrance in the second half, with penalties to follow. Bounced off a tackle on England’s Bellamy as the full-back broke through the Bok defence.

19 Jaco Grobbelaar – 7
Found himself unceremoniously driven backwards within minutes of coming on as England started to gain the physical ascendency. Charged out the line in the dying seconds to put a big tackle in himself to march England back.

20 Matt Romao – 7
Played a key part in South Africa’s strong defensive sets in the final ten minutes when they were down a man.

21 Ceano Everson – 6
Came on for the final 15 minutes to make his first appearance of the Championship, where defending was largely required.

22 Dominic Malgas – 6
The other member of the bench making their first appearance of the Championship, he wasn’t afforded the time and space in the second half that some of his team-mates enjoyed in the first.

23 Jaco Williams – 7
Thrown into the action early on, and looked composed in the backfield handling England’s probing kicks. That composure went out the window when he flung the ball wildly on one occasion to gift England their third try. Redeemed himself shortly after with a brilliant one-handed offload to put Mentoe in for a try.