Springbok Player Ratings v Wales - Test 2

A vastly changed Springbok outfit fell to Wales on South African soil for the first time in their history on Saturday in Bloemfontein.

In a tense affair, Josh Adams' scored the only try in the 78th minute, with Gareth Anscombe's clutch conversion sealing the 12-13 victory.

Here is how we rated Jacques Nienaber's charges with six players making their test debuts on the night. 

15 Warrick Gelant - 5

Kieran Hardy put the returning Springbok fullback under pressure in the opening minutes of the game, and while Gelant made more metres on attack than any other player, he couldn't provide that spark and create tries.

In the final moments, he got caught out by Anscombe's wide pass as Adams beat him to the corner. 

14 Kurt Lee Arendse - 8

One of the Springboks' best in Bloemfontein. The former Sevens star looked comfortable in the Green and Gold, even against the large presence of Alex Cuthbert across from him. He chopped down his opposite winger with sharp leg tackles and got Faletau to the ground well too. 

He made over 50 running metres and looked like a threat each time he touched the ball. 

13 Jesse Kriel - 6

A sound but not brilliant from Kriel as he brought his usual physicality to the outside centre role and drew in defenders with his dummy lines.

Fronted up on defence but couldn't ignite the attack as he would have liked.

12 Andre Esterhuizen - 6.5

Esterhuizen didn't light up the test match as he had done for Harlequins this past season, but there were trademark moments throughout the test.

He was difficult to bring down, often requiring two to three defenders and stepped up to make ten tackles, a Springbok match-high.

11 Aphelele Fassi - 5

Like Mapimpi last weekend, Fassi saw very little ball come his way on the attack. He competed well in the air with Louis Rees-Zammit and kept his cool when Hardy overcooked one of his kicks to call the mark. He missed two of his three tackles and couldn't get into the game before Willemse replaced him in the final 12 minutes.

10 Handre Pollard - 6

Leading his country for the first time, Pollard will be more disappointed than most with the final result, especially with his two missed shots at goal. 

He had some nice touches with the ball in hand, making over 40 running metres, while he did put pressure on Wales with his high balls. His night ended with a miss-hit cross-kick. He wasn't on top of his game with Montpellier and wasn't on Saturday either. 

9 Jaden Hendrikse - 7

Hendrikse had some excellent tactical kicks paired with swift services when the Boks tried to play expansively. He even came up with a turnover at the breakdown in the first half. Handy first test start and showed better form than he had with the Sharks in the URC.

8 Evan Roos - 5

After a blockbuster United Rugby Championship season, there were high hopes that Roos would make a big splash in test rugby. While he will still get the opportunity to do so in the future, it wasn't a rockstar debut that many would have predicted. He had some strong carries and made his tackles. It was not the easiest game to make your debut. 

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit - 6.5

The Springbok coaches will be happy that du Toit got through the entire 80 minutes unscathed as he returned from injury. He had a typically busy performance clearing out rucks but wasn't as impactful on defence and attack as he usually is. He gave away an early penalty, jumped more often at the lineout and made one promising carry and offload, which led to Alun Wyn Jones' yellow card. Enough to start test three? Possibly.

6 Marcell Coetzee - 6

A steady return to test rugby for Marcell Coetzee after an injury ended his 2019 Rugby World Cup hopes. He was solid without standing out against Wales as he made some big ball carries and cleared out rucks. Replaced in the 48th minute as Deon Fourie made his test debut. 

5 Marvin Orie - 6.5

  

Starting alongside his high school teammate, Orie went about his business well on Saturday, doing the typical job of a Springbok lock; hit rucks, make tackles and win the lineout. Not much else to it. 

4 Eben Etzebeth - 7.5

Etzebeth built on a solid outing from last weekend. He contested the lineout well and was a reliable option for the Boks there too. He regularly looked to charge down Wales' kickers and carried strongly into contact. 

3 Trevor Nyakane - 6

Just the 40 minutes for Nyakane, who missed last week's test as he gets back to full fitness. He looked to have got the upper hand on Gareth Thomas in the scrums. 

2 Joseph Dweba - 6 

A second test cap for the Stormers-bound hooker, and he had some bright patches throughout the first half. He darted into Wales' half, showing off his pace, was tough to bring down in the close quarters, but conceded a penalty and wasted a chance in the Wales 22 with a skew throw into the lineout. 

1 Thomas du Toit - 6.5

A solid scrummaging performance as he played 40 minutes at loosehead before switching for eight minutes on the tighthead. He conceded the odd penalty or two in open play but was otherwise good. 

Replacements: 

16 Malcolm Marx - 7

Made another positive impact off the bench.

17 Ntuthuko Mchunu - 7

Unlucky not to get a penalty in the last scrum of the match. Big powerful loosehead, one for the future.

18 Vincent Koch - 5

Knocked on the pass that ended the match and conceded a penalty to Gareth Thomas. 

19 Ruan Nortje - 6

Picked up from where Orie left off. Made his tackles, hit rucks hard.

20 Rynhardt Elstadt - 6

Abrasive on defence and in the rucks.

21 Deon Fourie - 5

Made some good carries but wasn't able to be his usual threat over the ball.

22 Grant Williams - n/a

Williams got six minutes out of position on the wing to mark his debut. He made one carry and stayed in play well, but he didn't have enough time to warrant a fair rating. 

23 Damian Willemse - 6

Thrown on in the latter stages at fullback to try spark the comeback. He moved into flyhalf after Pollard's injury.