Springboks Player Ratings vs Wallabies: A 5 For Eben Etzebeth
Springboks player ratings from the 42-38 loss in Perth: why Eben Etzebeth gets a 5 in his 147th Test, and who takes the 4.5 for the play after the siren.
The Springboks were 42-17 down in Perth with 16 minutes to play. André Esterhuizen, captain for the first time, did not dress it up. The Wallabies “capitalised on all our errors and I think discipline let us down, especially in that first half,” he told Nine.
Drew the last man for Edwill van der Merwe’s try on 30. The errors cost more. Suaalii beat him in the air on 27 and Ikitau scored off the drop. Three turnovers lost, the most on the pitch.
Finished the try on 30 with pace nobody in gold could live with. Three carries all night. With the line open on 72, Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s cross-kick hit his hands and went down.
Dumped Ben Donaldson in the second minute, and de Villiers won the penalty off the tackle. Went through an outside gap on 30 to make the try. The Guardian and ABC both had Jorgensen’s try on 64 coming off his loose pass.
Carried 12 times in his first Test as captain, the most of any Springboks player. Captains wear the penalty count, though. South Africa gave away 11, and Ryan Lonergan kicked three goals off them. “We let them in too many times and that really hurt us,” he said.
The sharpest Springboks back: two line breaks, and a run on 18 that took Rob Valetini’s ankle tap to stop. The head clash with Donaldson on 37 looked harsh. It still led to a try.
Landed a long-range penalty on 4. On 9 he kicked for the corner instead of three, and the maul scored. Three from three off the tee, and the flat pass that put Moodie through on 30. The pass behind Fassi on 35 wasted a chance.
Box-kicked cleanly and made one clean break, on 43. That was about it. One carry, and South Africa had a quarter of the ball in the last ten minutes of the first half.
Drove in the maul that scored on 10, which beat a set defence by swinging inside instead of going straight. The starting scrum never went forward, and won nothing until the replacements arrived.
Two tackles that drove the carrier back, joint most in the match. But he was penalised at a ruck on 22, and Ikitau scored off the lineout that followed.
Penalised twice at the breakdown early in the second half, and RugbyPass had Lonergan kicking goals off both. Hurt a finger with the bench already spent and played on, taking the lineout for the maul on 69. Off on 76, in his 147th Test.
5out of 10
5
5. Franco Mostert
First Test since Wales last November. Went off his feet over the ball on 21, and the penalty sent the Wallabies to an attacking lineout. Four carries. Off on 47, then back on twice for Etzebeth.
The best Springboks player on the field. Won three breakdown penalties, the second of them for Pollard’s opening goal, and his three turnovers matched Fraser McReight’s for the most in the match. Picked off a pass on 36. Eighty minutes on his fifth cap.
Started at No 8 and gave away a penalty in the second minute for handling the ball in a ruck. Three carries in 47 minutes is short of a Test No 8’s workload.
Six carries in 33 minutes, and the one on 69 drew Wilson’s shoulder and the first yellow card. Hooked for both late scrum tries. South Africa lost a lineout on his throw on 62.
Stole a ball on 57 and knocked it on. Australia scored off the scrum. Then the set piece turned: the first Springboks scrum penalty came on his side, and he scored the last try with seconds left.
Two tackles that drove carriers back, but two attacks died in his hands. He knocked on at a lineout on 51. On 64, with South Africa finally inside the 22, he spilled in contact.
Won the 50th cap he had agreed to win from the bench. Tapped and went on 69 from the wrong spot and was called back. On 71 Lonergan stopped him from an offside position, and the penalty try followed. Three carries.
Baltimore’s man of the match won his own high kick back on 49 and carried seven times in 33 minutes. Lost the ball grounding it off the scrum on 70. Made no mistake off another scrum four minutes later.
Found touch five metres out on 50. Broke the line on 72 and put the cross-kick into van der Merwe’s hands. Kicked both late conversions, and Paisami’s yellow card on 77 was for the high shot on him.
The lowest mark, so it gets its reasons. Replacements are marked on what they change. In 33 minutes at fullback, Horn carried twice, and Jorgensen got up ahead of him for a high ball on 56.
Then the last play. South Africa were running from deep after the siren, and News24 had Horn getting in Esterhuizen’s way. Obstruction, ball in touch, Test over. It was his third cap.
4.5out of 10
Springboks player ratings by WeTalkRugby from the live broadcast, with minutes from the Guardian, ABC and News24 blogs.
Was this a second string found out, or a bench that nearly stole a Test Australia had already won? The marks say the first. Horn’s 4.5 and Etzebeth’s 5 are where the argument starts. Make it below.
Frequently asked
What was the score in Wallabies v Springboks in Perth? Australia 42-38 South Africa, at Optus Stadium on Sunday 27 September. It was 24-17 at half-time and 42-17 on 64 minutes.
Who scored South Africa’s tries? Johan Grobbelaar, Edwill van der Merwe, a penalty try, Morné van den Berg and Ox Nché. Handré Pollard kicked seven points and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu four.
Why were Australia down to 11 men? Harry Wilson, Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Hunter Paisami were all sin-binned between the 70th and 77th minutes. Wilson was back on for the last restart.
Wallabies flyhalf: McKenzie says Australia cannot mine deeply at 10 with Carter Gordon out, and without the gain line the forwards run backwards to rucks.
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