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Player Ratings: South Africa OPINION: The Springboks will have a hard and long look at themselves after they suffered a 16-33 defeat to the All Blacks in the opening Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry in Johannesburg. There were a few standouts for the Boks, but they lacked the clinical edge to beat Dave Rennie’s side. See below for the Player ratings: 15 Damian Willemse His covering under the high ball was brilliant, but there just weren’t enough attacking opportunities for him. He eventually ended the match in the midfield. 6.5/10 14 Cheslin Kolbe His work around the park was another example of his class. Produced a brilliant step to beat Luke Jacobson with his first run. He also put NZ under pressure with his chases under the high ball, and he stood up to the challenge on defence. 8/10 13 Jesse Kriel He had to play most of the game on the wing after Kurt-Lee Arendse left the field, and he just wasn’t effective enough. Kriel was a bit late in closing down the space near the touchline in the build-up to NZ’s second try. 4/10 12 Damian de Allende There were a few powerful runs, but it wasn’t his best showing. Maybe the early disruption with Arendse’s injury played a role. It’s not the result and performance he wanted for his 100th Test. 6.5/10 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse Off in the 10th minute after a head knock. Not enough time to be rated. 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu There were a few runs through New Zealand’s defence, but he just wasn’t clinical enough when it mattered. One of his highlights was a great kick, chase and gather early in the second half before it fell flat. 5/10 9 Grant Williams His defending was not the best in the build-up to NZ’s second try. His kick at the base of a ruck in the 48th minute got charged down by Fabian Holland, and it ended a try for the lock. The scrumhalf was also weak on defence for Luke Jacobson’s try. There were a couple of good kicks and runs but not enough for the Boks in this match. 4/10 8 Jasper Wiese The big man deserved a win for his colossal performance out there. He was by far the best player on the field, having made more carries and metres than anyone else. 9/10 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (captain) A prominent figure in the physical exchanges and made life difficult. However, he just seemed off the pace on a few occasions. 6/10 6 Paul de Villiers The Stormer was strong in the tackles, and he often drove his opponent back. He was also a nuisance at the breakdowns as well. 7.5/10 5 Ruan Nortje He played the full 80 minutes, and he did some hard work in the physical exchanges. He carried the ball well on a few occasions, but the Boks need more for the rest of the series. 6/10 4 Eben Etzebeth The veteran gave away few penalties in the opening quarter, which included a high tackle in the seventh minute. However, his physicality was on full display for the rest of the match, and he kept the pressure up in the line-outs as well. 6/10 3 Wilco Louw He destroyed his opponent on several occasions in the scrums, which resulted in penalties for his team. The big man was a bruiser out there. 8.5/10 2 Malcolm Marx Part of a dominant front row before the changes were made. Except for one throw-in, he found his jumpers in the line-outs, and he will be kicking himself for losing the ball when it looked like he was about to score after driving maul. Once again, his breakdown work will be talked about. 7/10 1 Ox Nche It was a good comeback from injury for the prop. He got stuck in early with some huge hits on defence before he pummelled the All Blacks in the scrums. That sheer power was perfectly on display in a massive scrum in the 32nd minute with New Zealand going back rapidly. 8/10 Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (On for Gerhard Steenekamp) Not enough time to be rated. 17 Gerhard Steenekamp (On for Ox Nche) He started well in the scrums, but just couldn’t take it through for the rest of the match. He was also replaced by Jan-Hendrik Wessels. 6/10 18 Zachary Porthen (On for Wilco Louw) Lacked Wilco Louw’s power and pedigree in the scrum, and there wasn’t enough impact in open play. 4.5/10 19 Cobus Wiese (On for Eben Etzebeth) Not enough time to be rated. 20 Andre Esterhuizen (On for Kurt-Lee Arendse) Came on early after Arendse went off with an HIA, and he showed his power by bashing through Josh Moorby for a try. However, he didn’t have that dynamism on attack, and he was eventually replaced in the second half. 6.5/10 21 Marco van Staden (On for Paul de Villiers) Just couldn’t get into the game, and he eventually got a yellow card for cynical play in the 70th minute. 3/10 22 Cobus Reinach (On for Cheslin Kolbe) He brought a bit of speed to the play, but there was just no cohesion in the backline. He also got a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on in the 71st minute. 3.5/10 23 Manie Libbok (On for Andre Esterhuizen) The playmaker attacked the line well on a few occasions but not enough to turn the tide. 5/10 Register your interest to receive priority updates on RWC27 ticket releases. Don't miss out, stay in the loop!