Get Newsletter

Player Ratings: Hoodoo over

The last time these two met was at the same venue in 2014 when South Africa edged out the home side, 28-31. 

ADVERTISEMENT

It was a brilliant first-half performance from the Grand Slam winning Six Nations champions, who decimated Allister Coetzee's men by running in four tries to two. 

Lyndon Julius rates the English players!

15 Mike Brown:

Excellent positional play from the 31-year-old. Brown was solid both on attack and defence. The Harlequins No.15 made 13 carries, the second most carries for his side, testifying of his confidence with ball in hand. 

8/10

14 Marland Yarde:

The right wing was solid on defence and made telling runs. His four offloads are an example of his excellent ball handling skills and awareness even when being tackled. 

7/10

13 Elliot Daly :

The midfielder did really well in his first run-on debut. Kept the South African attack at bay.

6/10

12 Owen Farrell: 

In fine form from the kicking tee, the inside centre kicked six from six while his great visionary presence allowed the England side to penetrate the Springboks' defence with ease. He also crossed the whitewash for one of England's tries. 

8/10

ADVERTISEMENT

11 Jonny May:

May made good ground for the home side – he made a valuable 49 metres but it was on defence that he added the most value. The Gloucester speedster made six tackles. 

7/10

10 George Ford:

The Bath man was as solid as they come in the flyhalf position. Scoring one of the four tries for the home side, but it was his ability to dictate matters both on attack and defence that allowed him to free up the midfield. He missed none of his tackles. 

8/10

9 Ben Youngs:

Setting up virtually all the tries, making good use of South Africa's lack of having a pillar and post at the breakdown. The nippy No.9 exploited this, sending George Ford away for his try. His box kicks took play into Bok territory and the pressure from the England players allowed play to remain within striking distance. 

7/10

8 Billy Vunipola:

Much like his brother Mako, Billy made telling runs and ensured that Youngs got quality ball to exploit the dodgy Bok defence. The No.8 gained a massive 51 metres for his 18 carries. A stat that only exposes the Boks' inability to subdue the Saracens hardman. 

8/10

ADVERTISEMENT

7 Tom Wood:

The flank was impeccable on defence, making seven tackles and stopping the Boks from gaining any form of momentum. He supported Billy Vunipola and Robshaw by getting involved with ball in hand, making four carries which saw him add 14 metres to the whopping total of 100 metres added by the new-look England starting loose trio.  

6/10

6 Chris Robshaw:

The Harlequins man played a more supporting role in this match, as opposed to his prominence during the historic Australia series victory. The loose forward made eight runs and gained 38 metres. His defensive contribution was also on top form, the flank made 12 tackles, the most by any England player. 

6/10

5 Courtney Lawes:

Playing in his 50th Test cap, the lock made his presence felt at the breakdown and dominated the line-outs. A memorable Test match for the Northampton Saints lock. 

6/10

4 Joe Launchbury:

A special Man-of-the-Match performance from the lock. The Wasps man dominated the line-out and was solid on defence for the home side. Excellent ball handling skills from the 25-year-old capped off a solid day at the office for the forward. 

8/10

3 Dan Cole:

His physical prowess along with Mako Vunipola laid a good platform for the England backs to run with ease. 

6/10

2 Dylan Hartley:

Leading his team in their tenth consecutive Test victory, the Saints hooker set a good example winning crucial line-outs and setting a good foundation for Eddie Jones' charges. 

6/10

1 Mako Vunipola:

A valuable asset in any team that he appears in, the Fiji-born front row was solid in the set pieces.

7/10

Replacements: 

16 Jamie George (On for D. Hartley, 56th min):

He immediately got stuck in at the breakdown and set pieces. The hooker made four tackles as he kept up the discipline England defence. 

6/10

17 Joe Marler (On for M. Vunipola, 63rd min) :

Continued to lay the foundation by Vunipola and Cole. 

6/10

18 Kyle Sinckler (On for d Cole, 72nd min):

Not enough time to be rated. 

19 Dave Attwood (On for B Vunipola, 71st min):

Not enough time to be rated. 

20 Nathan Hughes (On for T Wood, 54th min) 

The loose forward carried the ball three times and made five tackles to ensure the visitors didn't gain any momentum. 

6/10

21 Danny Care (On for B Youngs, 68th min):

The replacement scrumhalf immediately got stuck in when he made his appearance, 14 passes and one sniping run. 

6/10

22 Ben Te’o (On for G Ford, 71st min):

Not enough time to be rated

23 Jonathan Joseph (On for J May, 63rd min):

Joseph gained 23 metres from only three runs testifying of his ability to break any defence. 

6/10

@rugby365com

Join free

Chasing The Sun | Series 1 Episode 1

Fresh Starts | Episode 2 | Sam Whitelock

Royal Navy Men v Royal Air Force Men | Full Match Replay

Royal Navy Women v Royal Air Force Women | Full Match Replay

Abbie Ward: A Bump in the Road

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 9

James Cook | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

New Zealand victorious in TENSE final | Cathay/HSBC Sevens Day Three Men's Highlights

Write A Comment