Do you agree with our player ratings for the game vs. Samoa?
01 Os du Randt – 6
Solid in the scrums, but uncharacteristically quiet around the park. He still seems to have a long way to go before he’s ready to make an impact at the World Cup. Looked shattered most of the time. Darren Scott recently asked him his age – he replied: “Twenty four with ten years’ experienceâ€. Hope we see some of his trademark big hits again soon.
02 John Smit – 6
Good try after offload from Skinstad. Solid in the scrums. Needs to figure out (in his capacity as captain of the side) how he can prevent his team mates from going to sleep in the beginning of the second half. And those silly kicks have got to stop!
03 BJ Botha – 7
Annihilated his opponent is the scrums and popped up regularly in the loose. If he stays injury free, is going to be a huge asset to Bok rugby.
04 Johan Ackermann – 7
This experienced campaigner performed the enforcer role with all the raw power we have come to expect from the ex-policeman.
05 Albert van den Bergh – 6
Go-go Gadget Arms played the full 80 minutes in a patchy, but nonetheless decent performance.
06 Luke Watson – 7
Considering all the hype and pressure, Watson did well before being forced off through injury. Made some turnovers. Tended to over-elaborate in his passing. Solid first outing.
07 Danie Rossouw – 7
Good ball carrying performance from the big Daniesaurus. Strong on defence too.
08 Bob Skinstad – 8
In my opinion, Skinstad should’ve been man of the match. Who knows why they chose Liefling? Strong off the back of the scrum and some of the silky skills returning after mostly doing the hard graft in the beginning of this comeback. Good leadership when Smit left the field for blood.
09 Ricky Januarie – 6
Aggressive and confrontational first half before being injured. Pressurised the hapless Samoans. Pass still a bit slow.
10 Derrick Hougaard – 7
Solid if unspectacular return to international rugby. Good punting. Bad goalkicking. Tended to kick away too much attacking ball.
11 JP Pietersen – 7
Solid performance and showed his deceptive pace. A constant threat with the ball in hand.
12 Wayne Julies – 8
Good running lines and vision from the supposedly rusty Julies. Set up many of the tries and solid in defence.
13 Waylon Murray – 6
Nervous debut for Murray, but showed that with greater exposure to the top-flight, he could become a threat.
14 Ashwin Willemse – 6
Good defence and also a threat on the wing. Regaining some form – just in time for the World Cup
15 Francois Steyn – 7
Always trying something different – usually only half of the things he tries come off. But give him time. Hugely entertaining to watch due to his unpredictability. Seems like Jake just tells him to go out and play his natural game.
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