Springbok Player Ratings v Georgia
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Jacques Nienaber started his tenure as Springbok coach on Friday with a six-try 40-9 victory over Georgia at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
A slow start to the game saw the Springboks trail 5-9 after a debut day try for Fassie before the Springboks went to work scoring twice to lead 19-9 at the break.
Here is how we rate Nienaber's charges.
15. Willie le Roux - 7
The key to unlocking the Georgian defence, two of South Africa's best tries had Willie Le Roux's fingerprints all over them.
The first was for debutant Aphelele Fassi as he timed his pass perfectly to Pieter-Steph du Toit away who sents Fassi through. He did the same in the build-up to Cobus Reinach's try as he and Kriel timed their passes to perfection.
Le Roux was solid under the high ball too but his impact on attack was certainly notable.
14. Rosko Specman - 5
The ball was shifted his way regularly but Specman had far less quality ball than Fassi did.
He was unable to display his fantastic footwork and sheering pace.
Had the opportunities to shine but wasn't quite able to take them. Not terrible but not fantastic either.
13. Jesse Kriel - 7
First game in Green and Gold since suffering a tournament ending injury during the World Cup in 2019.
Kriel was excellent in all departments as he led the defensive effort in the backs while only Fassi bettered his tally of 62 running metres.
He made some smart decisions on attack, trucking it up when needed while also timing his passes well - one, in particular, leading to the score for Reinach.
12. Frans Steyn - 6
Mixed it up on attack well with some strong carries on good running lines as well as the odd cross kick or two.
Replaced early in the second half having also given away a penalty and conceded two turnovers.
Some cobwebs would have been cleared for the veteran Bok in this one and we should still see him in the weeks to come.
11. Aphelele Fassi - 8
Made the most of his first touch in test rugby as he breezed past the first defender and finished in the corner superbly.
Kept the ball alive well to set up Cobus Reinach for his try and was solid defensively. Most running metres in the encounter and didn't give any turnovers away - a concern in his game to date.
A try with his first touch in test rugby 🔥
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 2, 2021
Aphelele Fassi 🕺 #RSAvGEO
pic.twitter.com/0d6wqYBAzN
A standout first cap and there is certainly more to come from the 22-year-old.
10. Handré Pollard - 6
A solid outing for the Bok pivot. He made good decisions on attack and carried the ball hard to the line when required to do so.
Missed his opening shot at goal but nailed his remaining four attempts. The attack fired far better when he was on the pitch.
9. Cobus Reinach - 7
Shift service and ran some top support lines, leading to the score from the kick from Fassi.
Could have opted for the snipe on one or more occasions but otherwise a strong outing that may move him up the pecking order.
A great score from the #Springboks 🏉
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) July 2, 2021
Timing on the pass from Le Roux & Kriel 👌
Fassi keeping it alive and Reinach the right support line 🔥 #RSAvGEO pic.twitter.com/YNKEfm8Lm7
1. Ox Nché - 6
Conceded a penalty with his first scrum in test rugby but recovered while, particularly when Frans Malherbe came on in the first half.
He carried well into contact and made his tackles.
2. Bongi Mbonambi - 8
The Springbok pack dominated the encounter and Bongi Mbonambi played a particularly large part in that dominance.
He was faultless with his lineout darts and timed his carry off the back of the maul perfectly to score.
He was hugely impactful with every carry whether it was with ball in hand or defensively.
3. Trevor Nyakane - 5
Struggled in the scrums in the early knockings and suffered a nasty blow to the head with a poor tackling technique.
Recovered to return to the pitch before being replaced early in the second half. Room to improve for the tighthead.
4. Eben Etzebeth - 6
Just the forty-minute shift from the physical second-rower.
He was solid in all departments for the Springboks and produced a nice offload that Mostert was unable to hold onto.
Physical on either side of the ball and his rating would be higher had he played longer.
5. Franco Mostert - 7
Early mistake missing the kick-off as he dusted off the cobwebs. Mostert, like Pieter-Steph du Toit, worked tirelessly in the rucks and topped the tackle count for the South Africans.
The lineout ran smoothly under his leadership. Lood de Jager has his work cut out for him to reclaim the #5 jumper.
6. Siya Kolisi - 6
A quiet game from the Springbok captain but certainly not a bad performance.
Kolisi tested the Georgian breakdown and worked tireless hitting multiple rucks in quick succession.
He saw far less ball than his fellow back-rowers. Solid but there is certainly room for improvement.
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit - 8
Stationed out wide for the Springboks, du Toit was a menace with ball in hand and looked to create something each time the ball came his way.
The 2019 World Player of the Year was back to his best with a tireless work rate as he consistently tested the Georgian breakdown and was superb defensively.
Stormed around the pitch for the entire 80 minutes.
8. Kwagga Smith - 6
The Georgians targeted Smith with their kicks and the stand-in no.8 was caught on a few occasions.
Smith gained metres regularly with the ball in hand and with the Springbok dominating possession, he was not required to do too much defending.
He took his chance well from the back of the scrum before the hour mark as the Boks stamped their authority at the set-piece.
Overall, not his finest game but didn't do too much wrong.
Replacements
16. Malcolm Marx - 6: Built on Mbonambi's strong work. Good lineouts and scored off the back of a maul.
17. Steven Kitshoff - 6: On top in the scrum and mixed it up nicely on attack with five carries and four passes.
18. Frans Malherbe - 7: Dominated the scrum and made his tackles.
19. Marvin Orie - 6: Picked up from where Etzebeth left off. Harshly called offside on a nice charge down.
20. Jasper Wiese - 5: Hardly put a foot wrong. 21 metres from his five carries.
21. Herschel Jantjies - 5: Took his chance to score well. Service was on par but not quite as swift as Reinach.
22. Elton Jantjies - 3: Looked rusty and was extremely wasteful.
23. Damian Willemse - 5: A threat with ball in hand slotting in at centre. A tidy shift.
