Springboks player ratings: ‘Generational talent’ Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shines before Bomb Squad’s ‘demolition job’
Following the Springboks’ comprehensive 61-7 victory over Japan, here’s how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ charges at Wembley Stadium.
Springboks player ratings
15 Cheslin Kolbe: A world-class player, whether he is playing full-back or wing. Kolbe wasn’t quite at his lethal best as his involvements were somewhat limited, but he certainly tried his utmost to influence and create opportunities when the ball did come his way. He brilliantly set up Arendse and covered the backfield well. While it wasn’t a poor performance, it wasn’t one that will demand that he start in the role in the upcoming matches. 6
14 Ethan Hooker: Made some fantastic reads when Japan threatened on attack while Hooker was outstanding under the high ball yet again. Hardly put a foot wrong, but also didn’t have too many chances to really shine. 6
13 Jesse Kriel: Worked his socks off to get into a position to finish off his try as he washed away the tears of Brighton, a match he also started. He led the defence well again in what was a strong performance. 7
12 Damian de Allende: South Africa bossed the gain-line from start to finish, and the powerhouse centre set the tone in that regard and didn’t give an inch on defence. In wet conditions, De Allende is a real weapon and proved it again. 7
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Man of the match as he grabbed a brace of tries and assisted another. The 29-year-old was fantastic across the board as he dominated in the air, wreaked all kinds of havoc with the ball in hand and racked up a match-high of 124 running metres. 8
10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: He took his two opportunities to score superbly and added three conversions in another impressive performance. The 23-year-old’s attitude on defence is incredibly rare for a fly-half, particularly of his age, while he kicked brilliantly out of hand too. There is no doubt about it, he is a generational talent. 8
9 Cobus Reinach: Linked up well with both Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok with crisp, accurate service, while Japan couldn’t deal with his high bombs. He is having an outstanding international season. 7
The forward pack
8 Jasper Wiese: Along with Malcolm Marx, Wiese bossed the breakdown and was equally effective when carrying into the Japanese defence. Put in a solid shift on defence too. The Boks pack is a different beast when he starts. 8
7 Franco Mostert: Quite simply did what was required of him. He never really lets the Springboks down and today was no different as he racked up 14 tackles, was a safe pair of hands at the lineout and hit countless rucks. He hasn’t played for the Boks since the win over Australia in Cape Town but showed no signs of rust. 7
6 Siya Kolisi (c): Earned his 99th Test cap today and looks in great nick ahead of his milestone appearance, producing another tidy shift where he carried strongly, pestered the breakdown and made his tackles. He scored the opening try, setting the tone for the domination. 8
5 Lood de Jager: Incredibly busy on defence, topping the tackle count (19), while he was just as effective in the lineouts. Like Snyman, he is a real asset in attack with his soft hands, but is equally strong when carrying the ball to the line. 7
4 RG Snyman: Brutally effective with the ball in hand and threw some ridiculous offloads. Unfortunately, Andre Esterhuizen’s chalked off try was because of his error in setting the maul, but it was another powerhouse shift from the giant lock. 7
3 Zachary Porthen: Dominated at scrum time, eking out penalties, while he was incredibly busy on defence as one of the top tacklers during his 44 minutes. The youngest Springbok prop in the professional era, but looks tailor-made for this level, didn’t look off the pace for even a second. 7
2 Malcolm Marx: His lineouts were sharp, while he was simply brilliant at the breakdown. He carried well too and played his part in a dominant scrum. Can’t have asked for much more. Marx is back to playing some of his best rugby again. 8
1 Ox Nche: He looked rather uncomfortable as he trotted off the pitch in the 18th minute. Nche had the upper hand in the scrums and comfortably got the better of Shuhei Takeuchi and was solid in open play. A real concern for the Boks now, as cover will need to be called in with Jan-Hendrik Wessels banned. 6
Replacements: The Bomb Squad blew Japan off the park as they delivered the final blows when the Brave Blossoms were on the ropes. Gerhard Steenekamp enjoyed a strong hour of rugby on his return to the Green and Gold jersey, while Esterhuizen was bullish and brutally effective in his cameo at flank. Kwagga Smith added pace and aggression while Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw continued the dominance in the set-pieces and around the park. A demolition job. 8
