The Springboks nudged over the line in Cape Town to win the Freedom Cup but it was a struggle and some players fared better than others. Mike Greenaway rates the players out of 10.
15 Willie le Roux — He looked to counter-attack at every opportunity. The veteran was full of running and showed he is not done yet. He was unlucky to be adjudged to have deliberately knocked on to incur his yellow card. (7)
14 Canan Moodie — He tried his best with what he was offered and looked dangerous, but this was a tight game where the wings were mostly unemployed. (6)
13 Jesse Kriel — He did not have too many chances on attack but was busy all over the field. He organises the defence with authority. (6)
12 Damian De Allende — His defence was enormous. He was everywhere and kept harrying the All Blacks into mistakes. He is an underrated and invaluable asset for the Boks. (9)
11 Cheslin Kolbe — He made telling runs each time he got the ball. When he sees space he finds opportunity. It is a pity he did not get more opportunities. (7)
10 Handre Pollard — He nailed an excellent penalty in the 30th minute. He looked every bit like the old general and shows that the young pretenders are not going to have it all their way. (7)
9 Grant Williams — At the start of the game he was caught napping by the referee for taking too long to clear from the base of a ruck. Later he was penalised for offside to cost his team three points. It was not his best game. (4)
8 Jasper Wiese — Carried strongly as always but occasionally was caught without support. He made some crucial steals. He was yellow-carded for a cynical tackle of a support runner in the 14th minute. (5)
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit — The warhorse fired again. He keeps going and at the end of the game, when the Boks needed something special to shut out the All Blacks, he stole an All Blacks lineout throw to close out the game. (9)
6 Siya Kolisi — He was not in the game in the first half and certainly not at the breakdowns, but when his team desperately needed a try, he came through with a bulldozing finish 10 minutes into the second half. He had a much better presence after half-time. (8)
5 Ruan Nortje — His work in the lineouts was impressive and he made a crucial steal. Nortje is rapidly becoming the new Franco Mostert. (8)
4 Eben Etzebeth — The veteran had a very strong game. He was big in the collisions and strong in his carries. He was unlucky not to score a try when a powerful drive was halted millimetres from the tryline. He kept fighting to the end. (9)
3 Frans Malherbe — The scrum dominance came from the tighthead in the first scrum. He remains South Africa’s premier tighthead. (8)
2 Bongi Mbonambi — He overcooked four lineout throws in the first half. He was penalised for holding on in the tackle. He was somewhere off his best. (4)
1 Ox Nche — He is arguably the best Bok at this stage of the season. He is immense in the scrums and makes yards each time he touches the ball. (9)
Best Replacements:
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu — He came on 15 minutes into the second half and immediately kicked a penalty. He had a mixed bag with ball in hand. (7)
Malcolm Marx — His 20th try in Test match rugby was a stunner. He peeled off the back of a maul and blindside winger Sevu Reece was left for dead. Marx is simply world-class. (8)