After their momentous win last week, the Springboks came back down to earth with a bang. They turned in a flat, tired performance against the Wallabies in Perth on Saturday, and duly went down 16-9. The Boks were handicapped by too many turnovers, and their handling let them down at crucial times in the game. They also come off second best at the breakdown and will rue a lack of precision and calmness this week that they managed last. Grant Shub rates the Bok players who did duty on Saturday, and gives you his verdict.
Springbok player ratings v Australia (19/7/08)
15. Conrad Jantjes (5.5) I say 2
The Western Province fullback returned to the fold in place of Monty and struggled to command from the back as the veteran did last week. His tactical kicks were often too long, and he was under a lot of pressure at the back, and was not aided by JP Pietersen who often gave him the ball under huge pressure. The value of Monty cannot be understated, and while Jantjes is a fine footballer, he was not his potent self today, and needs more experience in the big games.
14. JP Pietersen (4.5) I say 3
Had a good game last week, but slipped back into the poor form that saw him dropped in the Super 14. He was targeted as the weak-link in the Bok backline, and Australia managed two tries on his wing.
13. Francois Steyn (6.5)
The boy-wonder got his chance to start with injury to Adi Jacobs. He slotted two penalties. He was a good option at thirteen and was also effective when he came into the first receiver channel. One of the better Bok backs on the day, though his penchant for silly drop-kicks when the Boks had a good line-up outwide still haunts his game.
12. Jean de Villiers (7)
This man just keeps getting better. He made a superb break that nearly led to a try and was also strong on defence, except when he missed Stirling Mortlock in the tackle that lead to the Aussie skipper’s try.
11. Bryan Habana (6)
Had another frustrating game on attack. He was busy as usual and came close to scoring on a few occasions, but the Boks still refuse to use him as a weapon. When he did get the ball on the wing, he was closed down quickly and had limited space to work in. Came off in the 65th minute with a suspect shoulder injury.
10. Butch James (5.5)
An average display from an above average player. Butch has had a long season in the UK and now gets a few weeks off to rest his crocked old knees. His tactical kicking was largely ineffective and he looked rather flat along with his misfiring backline. He did slot a penalty for his troubles though.
9. Ricky Januarie (5) I say 2.5
Last week’s hero may not have quite been this week’s villain, but his service from the base was not as nippy as last week, and he was also well closed down at the fringes. The Aussies clearly did their homework on the little nine, and he was not half as effective.
8. Pierre Spies (6)
The 23-year-old returned to the base of the scrum, and did not have as big an impact as first thought. He was a bit ring rusty, but was a solid presence and will get better with more game-time. He made a number of handling errors, but the big number eight was keen to mix it up in the physical stakes.
7. Juan Smith (6)
Solid on defence as usual, but struggled to compete at the breakdown with the Aussies pilfering more ball. Was not the type of game the big man from Bloem could dominate.
6. Schalk Burger (6)
Burger threw himself around and was huge on defence as always. He however cried off with injury in the 48th minute and it was said to be his neck that was causing him concern which doesn’t sound all that good. Had a frustrating time trying to subdue the Australian threat at the breakdown all on his own, and today would have been a good time to have used Luke Watson rather than against the All Blacks where he was largely ineffective. De Villiers speaks of horses for courses, and in my humble opinion he should have partnered Watson with Burger or at least had him on the bench.
5. Victor Matfield (6)
Failed to fire up his tired charges, but was a towering figure in the line-out and only lost one ball.
4. Bakkies Botha (7)
Put in some huge hits, and tracked back well and put in some important cover tackles. No one can ever accuse Botha of shirking his responsibilities.
3. CJ van der Linde (5.5)
Not a bad performance from him, but after last week’s effort against a far tougher All Blacks scrum, one would have expected him and the rest of the engine room to have dominated. That was not the case, as Australia stood their ground at the set-piece. Was penalised for not binding properly.
2. Schalk Brits (6.5)
He had an excellent game in for the suspended Bismarck du Plessis, and did everything asked of him and more. His feeds to the line-out were good on the whole and his work around the field was exceptional. He did miss his jumpers on a few occasions, but he made up for that around the park, and was solid at scrum-time. Came close to creating a try for Habana, but the pass went forward.
1. Gurthro Steenkamp (6)
Had the better of his opposite number, but the Bok scrum failed to turn this into an overall dominance. Conceded a penalty for collapsing the scrum.
Reserves
16. Adriaan Strauss (5)
Came on for Schalk Brits in the 54th minute, and was solid if nothing else on his Bok debut.
17. Brian Mujati
Not on long enough to earn a rating.
18. Tendai Mtawarira (6.5)
Came on for Gurthro Steenkamp in the 51st minute and kept the scrum steady, but it was his work in loose that got him noticed. He is a former flanker and he made some memorable busts up the field. He made a great break up the touchline from his 22, and ran all of 35 metres. He brought a much needed energy into the Bok side.
19. Andries Bekker (6)
Came on for Kankowski who had blood, and then replaced Bakkies Botha in the 65th minute. A good replacement
20. Ryan Kankowski (5)
Replaced Schalk Burger in the 48th minute and moved to the back of the scrum. He was under pressure and had limited chance to show his worth, with the Boks on the back-foot.
21. Ruan Pienaar
Not on long enough to warrant a rating.
22. Peter Grant
Not on long enough to earn a rating.
SARugby.com's best player of the match: A tie between Bakkies Botha and Jean de Villiers who scored 7/10.
Aggregate score of the starting XV: 5.9 / 10.
