Player ratings: Welcome back Juan
Sat, 21 Aug 2010 19:40
John Smit: Rewarded for 100 Test caps. (c) Gallo
The rampant All Blacks clinched yet another Tri-Nations, after beating the Springboks in the dying minutes in Soweto on Saturday afternoon.
The Men in Black, who are yet to lose a Test this year, trailed the Boks until the 78th minute, but scored two tries in as many minutes to break South African hearts.
Jan de Koning rates the Springbok players:
15 Gio Aplon:
He had a couple of nice breaks and a great tackle on Mill Muliaina. In fact, he was fearless on defence throughout. There is no doubt about his Bok credentials.
7/10
14 JP Pietersen:
Had few chances on attack and looked to be struggling with a stiff hamstring. He did put in a crucial try-saving tackle on Carter.
5/10
13 Juan de Jongh:
There was an early high tackle penalty, but more than made up fir it with good
defence - a real menace at the breakdown.
7/10
12 Jean de Villiers:
He was enormous on defence and had a couple of good half-breaks. He clearly enjoys playing at inside centre more than on the wing.
6/10
11 Bryan Habana:
He is still pushing up too hard on defence, going for the intercept, and there were also a few handling problems as well.
5/10
10 Morné Steyn:
Not his best day at the office. Apart from his exemplary goal-kicking and some good defence, he gave away a penalty at the tackle and made a terrible mistake by not finding touch eight minutes from time. It may well have been the turning point in the game.
5/10
9 François Hougaard:
He produced a solid service at the base - great kicking and a snappy service - to go with some nice runs in his first Test
start. He also dealt well with tapped ball under pressure.
7/10
8 Pierre Spies:
Gave away an early penalty at a ruck, but was better on defence than recent Tests and some good carries. Also much more effective at the back of the scrum.
6/10
7 Juan Smith:
Showed his value at the breakdown, to go with a great line-out steal and really good carries. Also brilliant defence. Was really missed on the away leg.
7/10
6 Schalk Burger:
He was once again all energy, but certainly more controlled than in recent Tests.
6/10
5 Victor Matfield:
Produced good cover defence; in fact, he was immense on defence. Also looked more controlled in the line-out.
7/10
4 Flip van der Merwe:
Strong early carries and added value on defence.
6/10
3 Jannie du Plessis:
Stood his ground in the scrums and worked hard on defence.
6/10
2 John Smit (captain):
His first line-out throw was skew, but his work-rate was much, much better then in previous weeks. He did miss the tackle that resulted in Dagg's match-winning try. However, after 100 Test caps he gets full marks from us - maybe he was a six-out-of-10 in this game, but we give him...
10/10
1 Gurthrö Steenkamp:
Conceded a couple of penalties, but worked hard on defence and at the breakdown.
6/10
Replacements:
16 Chiliboy Ralepelle:
Not used.
17 CJ van der Linde (on for Du Plessis, 62nd min):
Gave away a silly penalty and otherwise made no real impact.
4/10
18
Danie Rossouw (on for Van der Merwe, 30th min, blood bin - then again 70 min) :
Produced his usual physical presence, but less of an impact than usual.
5/10
19 Francois Louw (on for Smith, 58th min):
Tried hard, but gave away a crucial penalty at the breakdown.
5/10
20 Ricky Januarie (on for Hougaard, 76th min):
Not enough time to be rated.
21 Butch James:
Not used.
22 Wynand Olivier:
Not used.
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