Springboks player ratings: Pack ‘absolutely obliterates’ poor Pumas’ scrum and Cobus Reinach ‘capitalises’ to retain the Rugby Championship

Following the Springboks’ 29-27 victory over Argentina to retain the Rugby Championship title in London, here are our player ratings.

Springboks player ratings v Argentina

15 Damian Willemse: Beat defenders at will when the ball came his way as he sprinted through the smallest of gaps. Willemse was solid in the air too, and kicked well out of hand. He entered the attack well at times and was a real spark on the counter. 7

14 Cheslin Kolbe: Another gaffe gifted Argentina a try as the winger overplayed his hand. He contested in the air well, but otherwise, it was a rather underwhelming outing for the sprinboks star, who racked up over five missed tackles. A rare subpar game. 4

13 Canan Moodie: An early yellow card was far from an ideal start for the young Springbok back and he was rather fortunate that his game wasn’t ended permanently after knocking down a pumas‘ pass. He competed well in the air and threatened at times, but frankly, it just wasn’t his day. One of the starters to make way early in the second half. Moodie has delivered on his massive potential in recent matches, particularly in his preferred role in the midfield, but today just wasn’t his day. 4

12 Damian de Allende: Powerful in his carries, as per usual, but showed his softer touches combining brilliantly with Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Jesse Kriel, putting in a deft chip over the top for the latter in the second half. He is far from just a battering ram but when he was asked to be that for the Boks today, he did so excellently. 8

11 Ethan Hooker: Hardly puts a foot wrong and looks like a veteran international back despite his single cap tally. He would have liked to put in a better hit on Bautista Delguy than he did, but he did well to even get to the Puma before he scored. Other than that, he looked a real threat with every touch of the ball and chased the high bombs with serious intent. 7

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: It was always going to be difficult, nigh-on impossible, to back-up his performance that he produced last week, but he made a good fist of it today. He jinked his way through defenders and was a joy to watch when taking it to the line, but a few of his kicks were overcooked. Still a tidy enough performance to see South Africa into a winning position before making way for Manie Libbok. 7

9 Cobus Reinach: Capitalised on his pack’s dominance like any good scrum-half should and did it either side of half-time. He controlled the attack well and kicked to a reasonably high standard. His tries were crucial in sealing the title. Named man of the match for his efforts. 8

The pack

8 Jasper Wiese: There is no disguise about the manner in which he goes about his performance, it’s up the guts and in your face. Wiese was textbook today. He stayed on the right side of the referee’s whistle and was abrasive in everything he did. 7

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Busy as every as he hammered into the Pumas’ defence and was competed bravely at the lineout. He also racked up a respectable tackle count, but it wasn’t his most impactful shift, though he has set incredibly high standards. 6

6 Siya Kolisi: A quieter game from Kolisi, who becomes the first Springboks captain to defend the Rugby championship title. Still, it was not a poor outing as he simply went about his workload, making his tackles, carrying aggressively and hitting rucks. 6

5 Ruan Nortje: If you had to sum up Nortje in one word, it would be relentless. It perfectly describes work rate on both sides of the ball, at lineout time and his overall approach to the game. Today, he illustrated that perfectly. 8

4 Eben Etzebeth: Forced from proceedings early in the second half with a nasty cut below his eye, and didn’t return with RG Snyman taking over. Etzebeth didn’t have much luck with his now trademark pestering of the opposition’s scrum-half, but did when it came to lineout time. He was on the wrong end of some hefty hits, but gave as good as he got. 6

3 Thomas du Toit: Did a destructive job on Mayco Vivas as he played his part in demolishing the Pumas’ scrum. Tidy in other areas of the game as he put in a more than respectable shift. 8

2 Malcolm Marx: Has now overtaken JP Pietersen and Percy Montgomery on the Springboks all-time leading try-scorers’ list. Marx has been under the spotlight of late, but he was back to his brilliant best today, winning crucial turnovers when Argentina were on the attack, while his set-piece work was of the highest order. His first try gave the Boks the lead, the second extended the lead beyond two scores. 9

1 Ox Nche: Absolutely obliterated poor Coria Marchetti, who was earning his first Test start at tighthead prop – even when the Boks packed down with seven men. As per usual, he was energetic around the park before departing 10 minutes into the second 40. 8

Replacements: The likes of Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman and Kwagga Smith all made telling contributions at key moments but overall, it wasn’t a Bomb Squad-esque impact from the Springboks’ bench. However, they did enough to secure the win, even though it was by such a narrow margin. 6