South Africa player ratings vs Scotland | Autumn Nations Series

South Africa player ratings: Reigning Rugby World Cup champions South Africa got their Autumn Nations Cup off to the perfect start with a 32 – 15 win over Scotland.

Coming out of the blocks hot, the Springboks scored the opening try of the match inside three minutes through winger Makazole Mapimpi.

Scoring two more tries through Mapimpi and prop Thomas Du Toit before half-time, the Boks rarely looked challenged despite a spirited challenge by their hosts.

Sealing the deal with a try in the final minute as they scrummaged over the top of the Scottish pack with Jasper Wiese the beneficiary, the Boks proved that they are the ultimate closers in World Rugby.

Here is how the Springbok players fared at Murrayfield.

1. Ox Nche – 8Once again, trotting off the park following a 100% success rate at scrum time, the Sharks man is clearly the best loosehead in the world at the moment. This statement was made ever more correct by the drop-off in the Bok’s general play when he departed.

2. Bongi Mbonambi – 7Surgical at line-out time, Mbonambi found his jumpers consistently. Away from this area, the hooker was pretty quiet, with just a single carry and two tackles made. This was primarily down to the good work that Scotland did around the breakdown, which sucked Mbonambi at the rest of the Bok forwards into a wrestling match.

3. Thomas du Toit – 8.5Capitalising on a messy line-out, the Bath star displayed cat-like reflexes to nab the ball and race away untouched for his first test try. In isolation, this try looked like a moment of quick thinking, but it was indicative of the bigger picture that Du Toit is the archetypal prop for the Tony Brown attacking game plan.

4. Eben Etzebeth – 8.5Displaying composure in the face of a hostile environment, the most experienced Springbok of all time had a quiet word with referee Christophe Ridley, who had Scotland down to 14 men, and Scott Cummings was handed his marching orders.

On the stat sheet, Etzebeth was monstrous as he topped the carries charts for the Bok forwards. Most impressively from the 129 cap lock was his ability to have an impact for the full eighty minutes with game-changing tackles, particularly on Duhan van der Merwe.

5. Franco Mostert – 5.5Concluding his afternoon at half-time, Mostert had a rather quiet showing at Murrayfield. Getting on the ball just once for a 6 meter carry, most of the 33-year-old veteran’s work was done around the breakdown. In open play he made 6 tackles whilst at line-out time he ruled the skies with 4 takes. Overall, it was a quiet return for the World Cup winner who is solid but not the most explosive of options at this point in his career.

6. Marco van Staden – 7Dump trucking Scottish ball carriers, ‘Eskom’ as he is known within the South African Rugby circle, shut the lights out of several promising Scottish attacks.

7. Elrigh Louw – 7.5Bringing a rangy attacking element to the wider channels, the Bull’s backrow is a mismatch nightmare for wingers when the Bok kickers go wide.

Defensively, Louw’s pace helped him cover for the rare occasion that the Scottish attack managed to get to the fringes of the Boks’ blitz defence.

8. Kwagga Smith – 7Harnessing the beast from which his nickname is inspired, the Bok number eight had a busy afternoon. Constantly challenging the Scottish backrow, Smith clattered through blue jerseys like a bowling ball that was lit on fire. This intensity got him onto the wrong side of the referee’s whistle at times but had the desired effect of starving the Scottish backline of clean ball.

9. Jaden Hendrikse – 8Cool, calm and collected, the Sharks scrumhalf is just such a smooth operator that he rarely gets caught out. In this regard, he is similar to the great Fourie du Preez, and like the 2007 World Cup winner, Hendrikse’s box-kicking was pinpoint. Taking into account the new kick chase laws, Hendrikse’s ability to clear from the base of the ruck makes him the perfect starter for the Boks.

10. Handre Pollard – 7.5Mixing up his kicking game like peak Roger Federer returning serve at Wimbledon, Pollard reverted to type at Murrayfield. Parking Tony Brown’s beautiful wide attacking game for a cup rugby style of play, Pollard kicked his points and put his pack in good positions.

11. Makazole Mapimpi – 8.5Handed a rare start and made the most of it with a sharp shooting performance that harkened back to his glory days of 2019. Forming a mind meld with Willie le Roux, Mapimpi was intrinsically in the right place at the right time for both of his tries. One moment he would like to have back, however, was for his yellow card in the 58th minute. This aside, it was a top-class showing for a player who has slipped down the depth chart in recent years.

12. Andre Esterhuizen – 8.5Direct and confrontational, rugby’s biggest inside centre utilised all of his ballast to routinely get his side over the gainline.

Ending his day as the top backline carrier with 48 meters from 10 carries to go with his 13 tackles, Esterhuizen held his end of the bargain and reminded everyone that he is a genuine contender for Damian de Allende’s jersey.

13. Lukhanyo Am – 7.5Clearly relishing playing alongside his clubmate Esterhuizen, Am hit some superb lines that kept the Bok attack on track without cutting down space for the wingers. Once he got through the contact, Am managed to get his hands free, which is reflected in the stats as he topped the charts in that department.

Defensively, the centre was precise in his tackle timing and lethal around the breakdown as he pulled off two exceptional turnovers.

14. Canan Moodie – 5Unequivocally amongst the best young talents in professional rugby, the one thing that holds back the Bulls star is his consistency. This was once again on full display with a few head-scratching moments that cost his side. On the converse of this, his power, pace and vision had the Scottish defence at sixes and sevens.

15. Willie Le Roux – 7.5In an era where elder statesmen are more valued than at any other period in professional rugby history, Le Roux is the archetypal ‘coach on the pitch’. Offsetting his dip in pace with his cerebral ability to see the game unfolding phases ahead of others sets up his teammates for success.

Substitutes16. Malcolm Marx – 7Hugely physical in defence and with a few strong carries, Marx was the pick of the ‘bomb squad’ replacements.

17. Gerhard Steenekamp – 6Rock solid at scrum time, but in general play, the Bulls loosehead was a tick or two below the man he replaced.

18. Vincent Koch – 5Mirroring the above review of his front-row replacement compatriots, Koch’s days as a rumbling ball carrier appear to be behind him. This doesn’t mean he is finished, but there was a noticeable dip in the Bok’s ability to get over the gain-line when the props were replaced.

19. RG Snyman – 6Sneaking onto the park as the first member of the bomb squad to take the pith, the Leinster lock picked up where Mostert left off as the chief target at line-out time.

20. Siya Kolisi – 6.5Nothing flashy, but the skipper was like Henry the Hoover as he sucked up anything in his vicinity. Cleaning up loose balls, scragging Scottish ball carriers and making a few carries into heavy traffic, Kolisi was rock solid in relief of Marco van Staden.

21. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 8Mr dependable came on and did what he always does as he clattered into anybody wearing blue.

Interesting fact, If PSDT were to travel to an alternate dimension in which there was another PSDT and they competed in a tackle competition, they’d both win.

22. Jasper Wiese – 8Rampaging over would-be tacklers, Wiese recovered from a slow start to get rumbling as he grew into the contest. Defensively the number eight knuckled down and had a few key tackles that led to a Scottish resistance fizzling out. Putting a rubber stamp on the result with a late try, Wiese’s ability to control the ball at the back of a scrum which was racing forward was exceptional.

23. Grant Williams – 7Proving why he is the ultimate super-sub, Williams’s ability to up the ante when he enters the contest is the perfect foil to the control of Hendrikse. Whilst much was made of the ‘bomb squad’ entering the contest, the last thing tired forwards wanted to see was one of the quickest players in world rugby skip onto the park.

Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)