Australia vs South Africa: Ratings
The Rugby Championship kicked off this weekend, with Australia and South Africa stealing the show thanks to their dramatic clash at Suncorp in Brisbane.
The Wallabies snuck the game with a last-minute try from Tevita Kuridrani, despite being significantly outplayed by the Springboks for vast swathes of the clash.
Here’s how the two sides graded out in our eyes.
Australia
15. Israel Folau - 8
The fullback was his usual unbeatable self in the air, but he strayed out of position on a couple of occasions and struggled early on to control the territory battle with the boot. On balance however, and bearing in mind his forays with ball in hand, it was a good performance from the Waratah.
14. Adam Ashley-Cooper – 8
Ashley-Cooper bagged the first try of the game after picking an excellent line and weaving his way through a couple of Springbok defenders, whilst he was also very adept under the high ball and proved a stout force defensively.
13. Tevita Kuridrani - 7
In addition to scoring the game-winning try, Kuridrani was also Australia’s most potent threat with ball in hand, breaking tackles with regularity. He needs to distribute more to his wingers, though, both of whom were feeding off scraps on the outside.
12. Matt Giteau – 7
Giteau struggled to pull Australia’s strings in the same way he pulls Toulon’s, as he was often squeezed for space not only by the Springbok defence, but also the play of both Quade Cooper and Kuridrani. He did, however, show enough to maintain his spot in the Wallaby back line.
11. Rob Horne – 6
The winger had one of his quieter performances in the gold of Australia, but he didn’t really see enough of the ball, with outside centre Kuridrani making just one pass and 19 runs when he was in possession.
10. Quade Cooper - 5
Cooper started the game in good form, playing ambitiously and weighting his kicks well, but as the game progressed he seemed to try too hard and nearly cost his side a try with a foolhardy pass in his own 22. His goal-kicking was also inconsistent and there will be plenty of questions raised over who should man the Wallabies’ 10 jersey when they take on Argentina in the next round.
9. Will Genia - 6
The scrum-half did inject tempo into his side early on but didn’t provide much of a threat around the fringes and his tactical kicking was not of the highest quality. An injury forced his withdrawal at half-time and his place could well be under threat from Nick Phipps, who was excellent in the second half.
1. James Slipper - 5
Slipper started well, holding his own in his first two scrummages against Jannie du Plessis. The wheels quickly came off for the loosehead however, with South Africa going on to dominate the scrum until Scott Sio and Greg Holmes came on later in the game.
2. Stephen Moore - 8
Once again the standout performer in the Australian front row, Moore was in excellent form in Brisbane. Despite not having the best quality or quantity of lineout targets, Moore helped the Wallabies gain a noticeable upper hand over the Springbok’s vaunted lineout unit.
3. Sekope Kepu - 5
Like Slipper, Kepu started reasonably well for Australia, but his game took a nosedive when Tendai Mtawarira got his legs under him and began to exert pressure on the Australian loosehead.
4. Will Skelton - 6
The colossal lock performed his role, breaking the gain line on a number of occasions, but the Wallaby pack did not provide him with the support he needed to turn those breaks into big gains. His defensive contribution was also fairly flat, something which will have done nothing to erase doubts about his ability to play 80 minutes at test level.
5. Rob Simmons - 6
Simmons had a relatively quiet game, though his contribution at the lineout was much-needed by an Australian side that struggles for lineout jumpers.
6. Scott Fardy - 6
As with Simmons, Fardy did what was required of him at the lineout, but he was fairly anonymous in other facets of the game and struggled to compete with the South African back row at the breakdown.
7. Michael Hooper - 6
Hooper proved to be an elusive running threat, but he was bullied at the breakdown by the trio of Bismarck du Plessis, Francois Louw and Schalk Burger. The introduction of David Pocock to the back row in the second half, admittedly alongside Hooper, helped turn Australia’s fortunes in the game.
8. Scott Higginbotham - 5
A lone lineout steal aside, Higginbotham was uncharacteristically quiet in Brisbane. The number eight didn’t bring the carrying threat expected of the position, but he gave Australia their third lineout target, which is all but a requirement of the modern game.
16. Tatafu Polota-Nau – DNP
17. Scott Sio – 7
18. Greg Holmes – 6
19. James Horwill – 6
20. David Pocock – 8
21. Nick Phipps – 8
22. Matt Toomua – 7
23. Drew Mitchell – 6
South Africa
15. Willie le Roux – 7
It was an accomplished performance from the Springbok fullback, who defended well and always looked to counter. He made an excellent offload to set up Eben Etzebeth for his first half try, but a sliced kick which resulted in an Australian try and a relatively quiet second half tarnished his outing.
14. JP Pietersen – 6
Like his opposite number Horne, Pietersen had a quiet game, neither seeing the ball much nor having to defend too many forays down his wing.
13. Jesse Kriel – 9
Kriel had an excellent debut for South Africa, threatening with ball in hand as well as proving to be a resolute defender in the midfield. The decision to move Kriel back to his age-grade position of outside centre looks to be a stroke of genius by Heyneke Meyer and should solve a troublesome position for the Springboks moving forward.
12. Damien de Allende – 7
The inside centre lived a little in Kriel’s shadow at Suncorp, but he was still effective. The Stormer made plenty of arcing runs to keep the Australian defence on the back foot, whilst he also did a solid job of keeping Giteau under wraps for much of the game.
11. Bryan Habana – 6
Habana won the aerial contest which resulted in Etzebeth’s first half try, but had little to do after that point, only getting his hands on the ball two further times in the game.
10. Handré Pollard – 7
Pollard was the antithesis of Cooper in this game, starting slowly and kicking waywardly, but then blossoming and controlling the game very well. His defence was also as formidable as ever and though on the losing side, came out of the game with credit to his name.
9. Ruan Pienaar – 6
The scrum-half set the tempo for South Africa early on, helping them take control of the game for the first 50 minutes, whilst his distribution and kicking were both solid.
1. Tendai Mtawarira – 7
Managed to get the better of Kepu after the first few scrummages, though he never quite exploited the match-up as much as he was expected to.
2. Bismarck du Plessis – 8
The Shark was phenomenal at the breakdown, winning four turnovers for his side and clearing out Australian forwards with impudence throughout his 50 minutes on the pitch. His premature substitution was certainly a factor in Australia gaining control of the game.
3. Jannie du Plessis – 8
Quickly got the better of Slipper and proceeded to make the loosehead’s time on the pitch as uncomfortable as possible. Tighthead prop has been a position of concern for the Springboks but du Plessis’ performance will have allayed those worries for the short-term.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 8
Etzebeth’s match-up with Skelton was one of the more hotly-anticipated in this game and the South African certainly ended up on top. Aside from his try, Etzebeth was physical and tireless in defence, a powerful carrier and a destructive force clearing out Australian ruckers.
5. Victor Matfield – 6
Unfortunately Matfield had to leave the field after just 17 minutes due to a hamstring injury, and as such there was little time for him to make an impact. His early lineout takes and the subsequent struggles South Africa suffered through after his withdrawal do his importance to the team justice, however.
6. Marcel Coetzee – 7
Coetzee seemed to take on Duane Vermeulen’s role of making the tough carries around the fringes and he did it well. He may not have broken into any long gallops through the Australian defence, but he kept them honest with constant short gains.
7. Francois Louw – 7
The openside started strongly, outmuscling the Wallaby pack on the ground and helping Bismarck du Plessis wreak havoc at the contact area. The Bath man didn’t have quite the same impact in the second half, but it was a good performance overall.
8. Schalk Burger – 8
South Africa’s plan to load their back row with players capable of dominating the breakdown worked well for most of the match and Burger’s veteran experience certainly paid off in the absence of Vermeulen. Burger had an all-round impressive game, contributing on and off the ball.
16. Adriaan Strauss – 5
17. Heinke van der Merwe – 5
18. Frans Malherbe – 7
19. Lood de Jager – 7
20. Oupa Mohoje – 6
21. Cobus Reinach – 5
22. Pat Lambie – 6
23. Lwazi Mvovo - 6
