It was the great escape at Ellis Park for the Springboks as they overcame their own mistakes and a classy All Black side to clinch a 31-27 Rugby Championship victory on Saturday night.
Here is how we rated the world champions’ display in Johannesburg...
Aphelele Fassi: 6/10
Took some good catches out of the air, cleared his territory with the boot and tried hard to attack the All Black defence with ball-in-hand. Received a yellow card for a cynical ruck infringement close to the Bok tryline.
Counter-attacking rugby by the Weekend Special 🤩🏉
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Cheslin Kolbe: 7
Looked for work throughout, popping up in unusual positions to step a few defenders – and he even bumped off All Black captain Scott Barrett. Was trapped in a ruck to concede a first-minute penalty that eventually led to the opening All Black try.
Jesse Kriel: 6
Flew up out of the line, but wasn’t able to stop Caleb Clarke’s try. Tackled well, and got stuck in at the breakdowns too. Didn’t have much space with the ball on attack.
Damian de Allende: 6
Was a rock on defence in keeping Jordie Barrett quiet, and won a few breakdown penalties. But his pass to Siya Kolisi was intercepted by Barrett, who went all the way.
Kurt-Lee Arendse: 6
Was a constant threat out wide, but didn’t get enough possession. Was forced off with a head knock in the 49th minute after taking a blow to the head in a tackle after chasing the kickoff.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: 7
Banged over a monster 60-metre penalty and scored 16 points, showed some slick touches with offloads and grubber kicks to spark the attack. But made a few mistakes, was timed out for a conversion and missed an easy late penalty. But he claimed a vital bouncing ball in the final minute.
🏉 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕦𝕘𝕓𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 🏉
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 31, 2024
Penalty Goal for the Springboks!
🇿🇦 8⃣➖7⃣ 🇳🇿
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Cobus Reinach: 6
Took on the All Black defence around the fringes, and delivered a solid service to the backline. Some of his box-kicks went a bit too far, though.
Jasper Wiese: 7
Made a number of tackles and a few powerful carries in a strong return to action after a six-match, nearly-three-month suspension.
Ben-Jason Dixon: 5
Tackled anything that moves, carried strongly and won his lineouts, but made a couple of errors that led to tries, and was substituted before halftime.
Siya Kolisi (captain): 6
Barged his way over the advantage line with powerful carries off lineouts, and put in some big hits in defence. But Kolisi wasn’t used in the wider channels, where he is most effective. Tried hard to convince the referee about the All Blacks’ repeated infringements.
Ruan Nortjé: 6
The Boks lost a few early lineouts, and the caller is often blamed for those mistakes. But after he returned from the blood bin, Nortjé was back to his smooth best, winning some vital throw-ins to set up mauls in the second half.
Pieter-Steph du Toit: 7
Normally the Boks’ best player, Du Toit had a difficult afternoon as he had to mix it up between No 4 lock, blindside flank and then No 5 lock. But he still made some decisive carries and tackles as usual, and contributed in the lineouts and tight loose.
Frans Malherbe: 7
Made it a nightmare afternoon for All Black loosehead Tamaiti Williams with powerful scrums, but didn’t receive the reward from the referee. Put himself about in the tight loose with tackles and carries.
Bongi Mbonambi: 8
Burst through a few tacklers for a well-taken try after a maul was stopped. Was largely accurate with his lineout-throwing, and put in some forceful carries and tackles.
🏉 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕦𝕘𝕓𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 🏉
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 31, 2024
Bongi Mbonambi gets a 𝐓𝐑𝐘 for The Springboks!
🇿🇦 5⃣➖7⃣ 🇳🇿
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Ox Nche: 7
Was solid in the scrums, and again played his part on attack with some subtle passes and strong carries.
Best off the Bench – Grant Williams: 8
Added real spark to the Bok attack with his speedy service from the base and strong decision-making. And then he eventually caught out the All Black defence to dive over for the late try and save the day for the world champions.
🏉 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℝ𝕦𝕘𝕓𝕪 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕡𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕡 🏉
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) August 31, 2024
The Springboks are back in the lead!
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Points-Scorers
Springboks 31 – Tries: Bongi Mbonambi, Kwagga Smith, Grant Williams. Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalties: Feinberg-Mngomezulu (4).
All Blacks 27 – Tries: Codie Taylor, Caleb Clarke (2), Jordie Barrett. Conversions: Damian McKenzie (2). Penalty: McKenzie (1).