Player Ratings: New Zealand v South Africa

Player Ratings: New Zealand v South Africa

The All Blacks and Springboks battled it out in Wellington in a clash that ended all square after 80 minutes.

Here are our ratings from the drawn encounter.

New Zealand 

1. Joe Moody - 5

Struggled somewhat at the scrum but did get through some nice work in the open field during his 44 minutes on the pitch making all 4 of his tackles.


2. Codie Taylor - 6.5

Hardly put a foot wrong for 60 minutes. He hit his jumpers at the lineout, made his tackles and carried well. 


3. Owen Franks - 4

Made a crucial cover tackle when the Springboks looked to have broken through the line but he did struggle against Kitshoff in the scrums. 

4. Brodie Retallick -6.5

Stole the Springboks first lineout of the game and continued to trouble the Springboks lineout and showed off his wide range of skills for 60 minutes before he left the field with an injury.

5. Sam Whitelock - 6.5

Troubled the Springbok lineout throughout the encounter and got through a ton of work at the breakdown.

6. Shannon Frizell - 6

A great lineout option for the All Blacks on attack but was relatively quiet elsewhere making 5 tackles and 6 carries.

7. Matt Todd - 7.5

Todd was the All Blacks' top tackler with 14 tackles. He slowed down a number of the Springboks attacks and was handy on attack.

8. Kieran Read - 7 

A solid performance from the All Black captain. He continually questioned referee Nic Berry keeping the Australian on his toes and was excellent defensively making 11 tackles and forcing two turnovers.

9. TJ Perenara - 7

The best All Black in the first half as he worked tirelessly on defence with an excellent penalty as the Springboks attacked dangerously in the 20th minute.

He also made 11 tackles and forced two turnovers in a strong performance that will ply the pressure on Aaron Smith for the starting jumper.

10. Richie Mo'unga - 6 

A shaky start from Mo'unga as he had a few sloppy passes and a territorial kick that was charged down. He did get better as the game went on and slotted two clutch penalties, the last of which should have seen his side to victory.

Not an ideal game from the young Crusaders but good enough to get him another shot in the jersey and far from terrible.

11. Rieko Ioane - 5

Ioane's quietest game against the Springboks so far in his career. He was marked well by Cheslin Kolbe, who caused him some issues on defence and Ioane was eventually replaced with 20 minutes to play.

12. Sonny Bill Williams - 6.5

Carried well and always looked for the offload but seemed to force it a bit too much. He made all of his attempted tackles and had a good enough game to keep him in the mix.

13. Jack Goodhue - 8


Gave an early penalty away to give the Springboks the lead but repaid his side when he followed up superbly to score just before the break.

Goodhue was a real contender for man of the match with a strong attacking and defensive performance.

He racked up 57 running metres beating 7 defenders and completed two offloads.

14. Ben Smith - 6

A strong, yet quiet game from the experienced All Black. He did all his core jobs well, as per usual and had a few opportunities that just didn't work out from him.

He beat three defenders and mad 34 running metres.

15. Beauden Barrett - 7.5

Should glimpses of what he can do in the position he made his test debut in. His kicking from the tee could have cost the All Blacks the match but his attacking prowess was evident as he made 78 running metres and beat 5 defenders.


Barrett didn't look out of place at fullback and did well in the air and defensively.

Springboks

1. Steven Kitshoff - 7

Made a crucial steal which lead to a penalty before half time with the All Blacks attacking dangerously. He scrummed well right up until his final scrum when Angus Ta'avao got the better of the Springbok loosehead.

He got stuck into the All Blacks pack making 7 carries, 8 tackles and two turnovers.

2. Malcolm Marx - 6

Marx did some good work on defence and at the breakdown but his lineouts were shakey while his carries were strong.

3. Frans Malherbe - 5

Solid in the scrum until his final scrum before being substituted. Largely anonymous around the park.

4. Eben Etzebeth - 6

Did his usual job of being abrasive and aggressive powering through a few tackles with the ball in hand. He made just two tackles and was taken off shortly after half time. 

5. Franco Mostert - 6.5

Played his usual game racking up the tackles and getting stuck into the rucks for 80 minutes. However, he was part of the Springbok lineout that faltered at times.

6. Kwagga Smith - 8

Had a few flashes of brilliance including a nice tidy up from an All Black attack and chipped over the top and got the Springboks back in the All Blacks half.

Smith was all over the park making 17 tackles missing just one and made two turnovers.

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit - 8 

Yet to have a bad game in about two years. He gave an early penalty away but was fantastic on defence and was absolutely everywhere.

Only Kwagga Smith better his tally of 16 tackles as he chased kicks superbly and dominated collisions.

8. Duane Vermeulen - 7.5

Had a few errors with ball in hand but was part of a Springbok loose trio that stepped up against the All Blacks.

Vermeulen took some risks at the breakdown and won two turnovers but did concede a penalty. He also made more than 10 tackles and made some intelligent decisions in his first game as Springbok captain.

9. Faf de Klerk - 6

Had a slow start with an early kick going too far and led to a 22 drop for the All Blacks but he recovered well to have a lively performance where he troubled the All Blacks defence and got the Springboks in some good attacking positions.

His night was cut short after half time as he failed his HIA. 

10. Handre Pollard - 7

Up and down game for Pollard. He kicked excellently at times and missed just one shot from the tee but he almost spoiled the opportunity for the Springboks to claim a draw as he failed to find touch with a penalty kick.

He also had a lovely catch and sprint down the pitch in the second half that almost led to more for the Boks. He also did well to gain 67 running metres and beat two defenders.

11. Makazole Mapimpi - 5

Mapimpi was superb on defence in the first 10 minutes which lead to a penalty to the Springboks and a lineout 5m out and eventually another three points.

He did, however, make a crucial mistake which led to Goodhue's try at the end of the first half. He saw very little ball out wide and was definitely the quieter of the two Springbok wingers.

12. Damian de Allende - 6.5

A solid game from the starting Springbok inside centre. He made all his tackles, carried strongly and chased a few kicks well but was taken off 15 minutes after the break as the Springboks looked to get a bit more of an edge on attack with Frans Steyn.

13. Lukhanyo Am - 6

Am came up well in defence to snuff out a few All Blacks attacks and had a few nice touches mixing it up with some grubbers than could have been more profitable for his side.

He was replaced along with de Allende as Erasmus freshened up his midfield. A strong enough game to keep his place in the side but Kriel is breathing down his neck.

14. Cheslin Kolbe - 8 

A strong candidate for man of the match. He made a massive 12 tackles as he shot off his wing missing just two. Kolbe threatened on attack making 55 metres and beating four defenders but saved his best for last with a brilliant chip over the top to send Jantjies through for the try that sealed the draw,

15. Willie Le Roux - 5

Incredibly quiet game from Le Roux who often stepped in as a first receiver for the Springboks. He had a few mishaps with the boot but was crucially involved for Jantjies try.

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