The Springboks came out as comfortable 45-21 winners against England at Ellis Park. They started quickly and scored three early tries. England came back before halftime, and things got closer. A dominant second-half performance saw the home team come out as comfortable 24-point winners.
Springboks player ratings
Ox Nche 7
An outstanding carry saw him make 20 metres through contact, which led to the second try. Came off early in the game due to injury before the first scrum
Malcolm Marx 8
Some great work in the loose allowed him to set up Jesse Kriel for the fifth try. Scored his own from the maul when he took advantage of England being down to 13 men. Played the full 80 minutes and tackled anything that moved in front of him.
Thomas du Toit 7
Du Toit started the game doing what he does best and scored from a metre out within two minutes to take the lead. Scrum was very solid, although it came off just after halftime.
Pieter-Steph du Toit 7
A rather mixed game for the captain on the day. He made 12 carries, making 40 yards, and despite attempting the most tackles on the pitch, he missed seven tackles. Playing in the second row in the first half, we saw his best carrying after he shifted to his more natural back row.
Ruan Nortje 6.5
Nortje was solid defensively, and only Malcolm Marx completed more tackles. He was relatively quiet on the ball.
Paul de Villiers 6
Making his debut, he had not even been in the matchday 23, but came in when Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth had to pull out.
Cameron Hanekom 7
Came into the game late, and it was enough for Rassie to take him off after 45 minutes. He did make 11 tackles in that 45-minute stint.
Jasper Wiese 6
Led the Springboks in carries with 16, although only turned these into 24 carry yards. Missed three tackles during the game.
Backs
Grant Williams 8
Made a 50-yard break in the 24th minute, sniping through the middle of the England lineout. Was centimetres away from an intercept try just before halftime. Did manage to get his try shortly after halftime. Made more linebreaks than any other player in the game.
Mannie Libbok 5
Very quiet in the game, and Kolbe was trusted with kicking duties from the tee and William
Kurt-Lee Arendse 7.5
Great finish in the corner to score the Springboks’ third. Was too powerful for Marcus Smith. Received what felt like a harsh yellow card for a deliberate knock on, when the opposition had an overlap.
Damien De Allende 6.5
Disappointing from the centre, who went missing in the attack. Made 16 tackles, winning 14.
Jesse Kriel 7
Scored the fifth try for the Springboks after some great work by Malcolm Marx. Thought he had scored a second, but a forward pass disallowed it in the final play.
Cheslin Kolbe 9
Won his 50th Springboks cap. An outstanding step saw him score the second try. He was lucky on 30 minutes, tried to let the ball bounce into touch, but Ollie Chessum read the bounce and put a foot in touch. Kicked an incredible five out of seven, which is brilliant for a not-first-choice kicker.
Damian Willemse 8
Made his 50th appearance for the Springboks. Exceptional 50-22 in the 24th minute, but the Springboks couldn’t make the most of it by losing the lineup. Was brilliant, particularly in the air, and it wouldn’t let England use their box-kicking game.
