The Springboks’ performance in the Rugby World Cup semifinal against England was far from beautiful, but excellent displays from a few individuals ensured the South Africans get their chance to defend their title.
The Boks defeated England 16-15 in a nerve-racking clash at the Stade de France in Paris and will meet the mighty All Blacks in a mouth-watering final on Saturday.
TimesLIVE Premium rates the players’ performances:
Starting XV
1. Steven Kitshoff — 4
Kitshoff had a tough game against England as he failed to help the Boks stamp their authority in the scrums and gave away a costly penalty. Maybe the tough conditions in Paris didn’t help him.
2. Bongi Mbonambi — 6
Mbonambi had some terrible throws in some of his line-outs, but redeemed himself as the game went on. The only try of the match, scored by replacement RG Snyman and a late turning point for the South Africans, came from his good throw late in the second half.
3. Frans Malherbe — 5
Like most of his teammates, Malherbe knows his performance in the crucial semifinal was not his best, but he was decent in the scrums and made a few good tackles.
4. Eben Etzebeth — 4
The World Cup semifinal against England will probably go down as Eben Etzebeth’s worst game in the colours of the Springboks.
Usually industrious and influential in giving his side the direction, the lock gave away a penalty early that put the opponents in the drivers’ seat. There was no surprise when he was replaced early in the second half.
5. Franco Mostert — 7
Mostert was one of the Bok players who found the energy to play his heart out and kept the defending champions in the race. He made several tackles and was a menace to England in the line-outs.
6. Siya Kolisi — 5
While Siya Kolisi defended well and did fine at breakdowns, he gave away two penalties in his 52 minutes on the pitch.
7. Pieter-Steph du Toit — 7
Du Toit is one of the players who stood his ground and refused to be bullied by the physical English forwards’ onslaught. He played a crucial part in South Africa’s improved scrum display in the second half.
8. Duane Vermeulen — 6
Vermeulen was good under the aerial ball, made some excellent tackles and a few carries. The rain made it hard for him to play his normal game.
9. Cobus Reinach — 4
Reinach has definitely had better games as a scrumhalf. Unlike the quarterfinal against France where they were pinpointed, his kicks were not good enough to trouble the English players fielding them and that put pressure on the Boks. He was replaced early in the second half.
10. Manie Libbok — 4
Though his kick for poles was good, the same can’t be said about his game management, which was not strong, forcing his replacement after just 31 minutes by the tried and tested Handré Pollard.
The poor performance of those around Libbok made things even tougher for the flyhalf.
11. Cheslin Kolbe — 5
After giving a sublime performance a week ago against France, Kolbe was just average against England on Saturday. The wing spent most of the night chasing kicks rather than being more involved in attacks.
12. Damian De Allende — 5
He had a very quiet night due to the lack of attacking opportunities for South Africa but key when it came to defending.
13. Jesse Kriel — 5
He didn’t get much of the ball but produced a few important tackles to ensure England did not cross South Africa’s whitewash.
14. Kurt-Lee Arendse — 5
Just like his wing partner, Kolbe, Arendse did not have opportunities to showcase his attacking abilities. He came second in the high ball battles with Elliot Daly.
15. Damian Willemse — 5
He also struggled to cope with England’s excellent kicking. He made a terrible pass to Manie Libbok, which resulted in a penalty for the opponents in the South Africa’s half.
Replacements:
16. Deon Fourie — 7
The game for South Africa was won from the bench and Fourie was one of the players who came in and changed the game in the Boks’ favour.
17. Ox Nché — 10
They normally say it’s hard for anyone to have a perfect game, but Ox Nché had one in the World Cup against England on Saturday. Nché came on for Kitshoff in the 49th minute with South Africa found wanting in scrums and completely changed that. He won a few penalties for the Boks.
18. Vincent Koch — 9.5
Koch combined well with Nché and also was superb in helping the Bomb Squad scrum the Springboks to the victory.
19. RG Snyman — 8.5
He showed his strength when he dragged a few English defenders over to score the only try of the game. Apart from the try, the Boks began matching England in the physical exchanges a lot more, with him on the field.
20. Kwagga Smith — 7
Came and improved the Springboks’ performance around the breakdown.
21. Faf de Klerk — 7.5
The introduction of Faf de Klerk along with Pollard, gave the backs and South Africa control of the game, which was lacking during Reinach’s period. His kicking was much better than against France and added the dimension Reinach lacked.
22. Handré Pollard — 9.8
For many it was a surprise to see Pollard being listed among the replacements, looking at his experience, the magnitude of the clash and effect he had off the bench in the quarter against France.
The pivot replaced Libbok just after the half-hour mark with England already in the driving seat. He never put a foot wrong with his kicks. Pollard managed the game well to give the South Africans the fighting chance they desperately needed to claw back into the contest.
23. Willie le Roux — 6
Unlike most of the players that played off the bench, Le Roux didn’t give an out-of-this-world performance but definitely improved the game compared to Willemse, who he replaced.
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