Following their 18-12 defeat to the Springboks, here is how we rated the All Blacks players after a engrossing clash in Cape Town.

15 Will Jordan: Popped up in different holes around the pitch, and always looked a threat with ball-in-hand. Also came up with some decent defensive efforts too. Suited the system well at 15. 6

14 Sevu Reece: Copped a needless yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Willie le Roux in the first-half, but made up for it with some decent work on both sides of the ball. 6

13 Rieko Ioane: Kept pretty quiet when in midfield, but looked much more threatening when deployed on the wing. Was a real handful out wide, and used his space to good effect in space. He shone on the wing during his early international career, and this could be a good way to use him moving forward if this showing was anything to go by. 7

12 Jordie Barrett: A solid showing for the most part. Took a lot of the load off Damian McKenzie, and linked up well with the likes of Will Jordan and Sevu Reece early on. Also dealt with the pressure from Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi and Damian de Allende well. 6

11 Mark Tele’a: Shakey start to the game, but grew into the game. As you would expect he went looking for the ball and came up with some nice carries. 6

10 Damian McKenzie: Looked a lot calmer for the most part, and pulled the strings well around the park. Despite his decent showing though, his late missed kick ultimately came back to haunt his side though, as the Springboks struck with a crucial try just minutes after. 6

9 Cortez Ratima: Consistent quick-ball, which added some much-needed zip to the All Blacks attack. Also combined well with McKenzie, which gave him the freedom to play his own game. Also put his body on the line in the breakdown, and produced some nice turnovers as a result. 7

Back-row

8 Ardie Savea: Quiet by his usual standards, but still managed to drag his side over the gain line with some solid carries. Like a lot of the pack he made a real mess of the Springboks breakdown, which limited their opportunities to play for the most part. 7

7 Sam Cane: As usual, just ran his blood to water in defence. He was constantly throwing himself into the breakdown, and also produced some thumping tackles

6 Wallace Sititi: Had a big job on his hands coming in for the impressive Ethan Blackadder, but lived up to the billing with a great showing. Constantly looked to get his hands on the ball in attack, and produced some devastating carries as a result. He also packed a punch in defence and looked to make a nuisance of himself in the breakdown which slowed down the Boks ball. 9

Tight five

5 Tupou Vaa’i: A busy shift from the lock. Brought plenty of physicality to proceedings with some solid involvements on both sides of the ball. 6

4 Scott Barrett: Was a consistent threat at the breakdown, which played a big role in the All Blacks getting the upper hand in this area. Also added a solid platform at the lineout. 6

3 Tyrel Lomax: Mixed fortunes in the scrum, but looked really tidy around the park. Came up with some strong tackles, and contributed to the attack too with some delicious passes. Went wrong at the end of the game though, as he copped a yellow card which ultimately helped South Africa to close out the game. 5

2 Codie Taylor: Looked back to his best for large parts of the game. Made lots of work for himself in attack, and was able to break through the Springboks defence on multiple occasions. Looked back to his best. 8

1 Tamaiti Williams: Had the better of Malherbe in the scrum, and like Lomax also produced some lovely flashes in attack with some deft hands.

Replacements: A mixed showing from the All Blacks bench, and once again struggled to halt the late South African momentum.

TJ Perenara, Anton Lienert-Brown and Beauden Barrett added a new dynamic to the All Blacks attack, but unfortunately they drifted off as the Springboks regained the upper hand.

Despite their decent showings, the forwards on the bench couldn’t replicate their impact, and were blown away by the Bomb Squad. They were unable to match up to the physicality of the likes of Malcom Marx and Elrigh Louw, but importantly didn’t get anywhere near the levels of the players they replaced.

A lot of the power in the attack drifted when Wallace Sititi was replaced, and likewise when Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Asafo Aumua came on for Tamaiti Williams and Codie Taylor too. This is becoming a very serious issue for the All Blacks, as this is the third time this championship, and the second in a row, that the bench have struggled to match up to their opponents in the tight. They might need to make some personnel changes if it’s not fixed soon.