The Boks won a close physical contest 13 – 5 against the Samoans to advance to the quarter-finals and a probable match against Australia.
15 Patrick Lambie – 7
Fearless under the high ball, made a try saving one-on-one tackle and regularly joined the line at pace. Excellent game from the 20 year old.
14 JP Pietersen – 7
Busy on both attack and defense, his form continues to improve.
13 Jaque Fourie – 6
Spent most of the game tackling with little chance for his usual strong attacking runs.
12 Francois Steyn – 6
Landed an impressive long-range penalty in the first half and delivered a solid defensive showing.
11 Bryan Habana – 6
A lot better than he has been recently – took his try-scoring opportunity well. Injured just after half-time and replaced by Francois Hougaard.
10 Morne Steyn – 6
Controlled the game well in the first half, and didn’t shirk his defensive duties. Aimless kicking against the strong wind in the second half was not as flash.
09 Fourie Du Preez – 4
Another quiet game from Du Preez – now clearly way past his best. Poor handling at the back of the ruck.
08 Pierre Spies – 5
Anonymous. No surprise. Replaced by Willem Alberts who took the ball up strongly and added some grunt to the Bok effort.
07 Schalk Burger – 7
Industrious as always, put in some excellent tackles and displayed some good distribution skills – notably in setting up Habana’s try.
06 Heinrich Brussow – 8
Always a factor at the breakdown, some excellent steals and a couple of strong ball carries.
05 Victor Matfield – 4
Another player (along with his golf partner Du Preez) who is now way past his best. Shied away from the physical stuff, not getting involved at all. His lineout went to pieces in the second half. Looks like a player who is happy to make the odd cameo (like Bakkies) so that if the Boks win he can say he was part of the successful campaign. Good for his post-rugby playing CV. Dyed his beard – enough said…
04 Danie Rossouw – 6
Some good early surges and defended well. Solid but unspectacular.
03 Jannie du Plessis – 6
Punished the Samoans in the scrums.
02 Bismarck du Plessis – 8
His usual bustling self in the loose – did well in his starting position. Although it was a bit worrying when he was substituted in the 68th minute with the game still in the balance. Smit doesn’t offer the same impact.
01 Tendai Mtawarira – 6
Punished the Samoans in the scrums.