Day: July 18, 2015

3. Jannie du Plessis 7
A commanding performance at scrum time, delivering some fine attacking ball to the Boks off first phase thanks to his efforts. The knock on the head didn’t seem to phase him. Proved his detractors wrong, however next week will be the big test.

Sport24: 7
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 7.5

Respect to Jannie Du Plessis destroying his opponent in the scrum

— #RugbyFifteen.com (@RugbyFifteen) July 18, 2015

2. Bismarck du Plessis 7.5
Getting back to his best just in time for the World Cup. Made three turnovers at crucial times in the game and was a constant menace at the breakdown and in general play. His pre-determined substitution for the out-of-form Adriaan Strauss arguable cost the Boks the match.

Sport24: 7.5
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 7.5

3. Bizarre subs. Bismarck was immense. To bring him off simply does not make sense. #Rugbyriddles

— The Niels Momberg (@nielspm) July 18, 2015

1. Beast Mtawarira 7
Strong at scrum-time, forming a dominant partnership with the Du Plessis brothers. Also put in some work in the loose. His substitution was surprising.

Sport24: 7
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 6.5

@Pedro7241cw Yip surprised with Beast and Bismarck replacement,but then we need to understand they are building a group for WC,not excuse

— Ruggaworld (@RuggaWorld) July 18, 2015

5. Victor Matfield 6
The Boks missed his captaincy (particularly in the second half) as he left the field injured early on. His dyed hair and beard may fool some of the supporters, but you can’t fool Father Time. His replacement Lood de Jager showed there is definitely life after Big Vic by putting in an immense and commanding performance.

Sport24: 6
Rugby365: 6/10
OuGrote: 6

Victor Matfield coming off to replace his catheter ad get a hip replacement. #AUSvRSA #SSRugby

— Peter de Villiers (@Coachdivvy) July 18, 2015

4. Eben Etzebeth 8
A massive game from the massive man – scoring his debut test try. Did his job in the line-outs, kept the opposition honest on defence and used his power and mongrel to good effect around the park.

Sport24: 7.5
Rugby365: 8/10
OuGrote: 8

skelton is big, but Etzebeth is from parow

— Oom Rugby (@Oom_Rugby) July 18, 2015

7. Marcell Coetzee 7
He is still on track for the World Cup despite leaving the field with a knee injury that looked a lot worse than it is. Plays with a lot of mongrel and is equally at home on either side of the scrum. Combined well with Schalk and Flo to give the Wallabies plenty of grief in the loose.

Sport24: 7.5
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 7

Hi everybody thanks for the msgs its just a lummy on the knee not to serios thanks for all the msgs!!!!!!!#blessed#thankuGod#

— Marcell Coetzee (@marcell_coetzee) July 18, 2015

6. Francois Louw 7
Did a lot of hard graft behind the scenes and put in a superb defensive performance. Will be twice as good in his new ‘home’ conditions at the World Cup.

Sport24: 7
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 7

Great play by Wallabies and massive steal by Flo Louw when we were under real pressure!

— Breyton Paulse (@BreytonPaulse) July 18, 2015

9. Ruan Pienaar 6
Not his worst game in a Bok jersey by a long shot, showing good composure and tactical kicking. Was far better than his replacement Reinach, but service is still on the slow side. Will hopefully show his worth in Northern Hemisphere conditions later in the year.

Sport24: 6
Rugby365: 5/10
OuGrote: 6

Something that's quietly slipped under the radar… How good has Ruan Pienaar been?? Never ever thought I'd use those words.

— Just Sport (@JustSportZA) July 18, 2015

8. Schalk Burger 8
What more can you say than this man is a machine. He never has a bad game. Filled the number 8 role brilliantly in the absence of Duane Vermeulen. Big tackles, high workrate and commitment to the cause. Our style of game needs a number 8 in his and Duane’s mould – there is just no room for posers. Inspired his fellow loosies.

Sport24: 7.5
Rugby365: 8/10
OuGrote: 8

So, so classy from Schalk … What a human. What a game. Can't believe I questioned his ability to play at 8

— Front Row Grunt (@FrontRowGrunt) July 18, 2015

11. Bryan Habana 7
Played a vital role in both Bok tries and looked for work all afternoon. Also made a crucial tackle on Tevita Kuridrani. His presence and experience helped to settle the relatively inexperienced Bok backline.

Sport24: 6.5
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 6.5

Good work in the air from Habana as Ezebeth goes over in the corner #AUSvRSA pic.twitter.com/PlWZC7GI1Q

— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) July 18, 2015

10. Handré Pollard 5
Made too many unforced errors and kicked poorly out of hand. His defence was also not up to scratch, although he did make one vital turnover. His potential is obvious and he will continue to improve now that he is out of the Bulls coaching environment.

Sport24: 5
Rugby365: 4/10
OuGrote: 5

Pollard having another mare here. What happened to him this year?

— RhymesWithRuck (@jwcoetzee) July 18, 2015

13. Jesse Kriel 7
Scored a brilliant try in his first test – showcasing his attacking skills – and put in the necessary work on defence. Heyneke Meyer was heavily criticised for his selection, but it turned out to be an excellent decision.

Sport24: 7.5
Rugby365: 7/10
OuGrote: 7.5

How much gas does Jessie Kriel have?? Stroke of genius by @HeynekeMeyer!!!

— CorneKrige (@CorneKrige6) July 18, 2015

12. Damian de Allende 6
A strong presence in midfield and good in defence. His option-taking let him down on occasion – particularly his failure to pass to JP Pietersen that resulted in a missed chance.

Sport24: 7
Rugby365: 6/10
OuGrote: 6

Look, deAllende is our best attacking 12 since…well since a damn long time But he HAS to sort out his channel defence b4 the WC #drifter

— Dewald du Plooy (@DewaldduPlooy) July 18, 2015

15. Willie le Roux 5.5
The mercurial fullback was poor in the air and had an off day with the boot, but showed good positional play and had a hand in both Bok tries. A similar player to Slaptjips in his prime but we need more of the magic and less of the messiness.

Sport24: 5.5
Rugby365: 6/10
OuGrote: 5

Willie le Roux's kicks have been decidedly ordinary.

— Kevin McCallum (@KevinMcCallum) July 18, 2015

14. JP Pietersen 6
Spent his time chasing high balls and may have done better if the kicks had been better and less frequent. Put in a fair amount of work off the ball, but his opportunities were limited. Getting used to his best position again after being played at centre by the Sharks.

Sport24: 6.5
Rugby365: 6/10
OuGrote: 6

JP Petersen is nowhere to be seen because if Pienaar doesnt kick the ball away then De Allende refuses to pass.

— Peter de Villiers (@Coachdivvy) July 18, 2015