Brilliant Springboks’ Wiped Argentina off the Park as ‘Liberated’ Libbok,‘ Fabulous Fassi’ and ‘Stunning’ Du Toit Steal the Show
Following the Springboks’ emphatic 48-7 victory over Argentina to clinch the Rugby Championship title, here is how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ champions.
15 Aphelele Fassi: What a year it has been for the livewire full-back, who scored his third and fourth try in Green and Gold. The hugely talented number 15 saved his best for today as he ran in South Africa’s first and third try and assisted their fourth and almost set up another. He was brilliant under the high ball too and gained over 80 metres. Fassi linked up nicely with Libbok and looks to have nailed down the starting role, but Damian Willemse will have something to say about that. A fabulous performance. 9
14 Cheslin Kolbe: Got his hands on the ball plenty in the first half and it paid huge dividends as he scored and assisted a try – a sensational offload to Fassi. He is one of the best wingers in the world and when on song, almost unplayable and he was belting out epic tunes today. Superb in all facets of the game. 9
13 Jesse Kriel: A real attacking threat from the opening minute to the last. Kriel made good decisions with ball in hand and seldom forced the issue. He was the glue and calm head needed in the backline but also a serious weapon that Argentina just couldn’t contain. He was duly rewarded with a late try. 9
12 Damian de Allende: Has to be the best inside centre in the world at the moment and he was on top of his game yet again. It was a marvellous performance where he racked up a mighty 60 metres from his six carries. He won’t be credited for the try assist but his brilliance at the breakdown directly resulted in Fassi’s second try. 8
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Like Kolbe, he got his hands on the ball plenty and it paid off the Boks as the hot stepper caused all kinds of problems for the Pumas defence. He came close to stealing a try off a lethargic Rodrigo Isgro and almost pounced on another. 7
10 Manie Libbok: Liberated by Tony Brown’s new attacking patterns, Libbok thrived in his second start of the year and without the fuss around kicking for poles. He ran the attack wonderfully and made the right decision more often than not. He held the ball up wonderfully for Fassi’s second and Kolbe’s scores in the first half brilliantly. He had a few cheeky kicks in open play too. Libbok got a ton of stick for his woes off the tee last week but emphatically responded with a masterclass. Those concerns will remain a talking point but it didn’t matter today, he was brilliant. 9
9 Jaden Hendrikse: He got off to a bright start off the tee, knocking over his first three shots at goal, but failed with the next three. The scrum-half was backed by Erasmus to flourish in the new Bok attacking structures and boy did he as he linked up superbly with Libbok and made good decisions on the whole during his 56 minutes.
8 Jasper Wiese: A solid first half was followed up by a blockbuster start to the second and he kept that pace until his number was called in the 53rd minute. He got 84 metres from his 12 carries, beating five defenders while he landed five tackles too. 8
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Channelled his inner Victor Matfield diving over Pumas defenders to score his side’s second try. He just never stops working and today was just another stunning shift in what has been the kind of season that warrants a World Rugby Player of the Year nomination at least. He was involved in absolutely everything and is thriving in the wider spaces, linking up well with Kriel in particular. He also weighed in with a few turnovers and was excellent in the lineout before doubling his tally late in the encounter. 9
6 Siya Kolisi (c): A powerhouse performance from the Springboks skipper who was excellent in the scraps and landed some mighty hits on defence. He was a real weapon with ball in hand too as he flexed his softer touches with his tip-ons but also hammered into contact when needed. 8
Tight five
5 Ruan Nortje: The lineout was vastly improved as the rising star in the Springboks pack produced arguably his most complete performance. He has enjoyed a breakout campaign in the Rugby Championship, plugging the lock issues with aplomb. He was his usual incredibly busy self around the park getting his hands on the ball plenty and hit double digits on defence. 8
4 Eben Etzebeth: A memorable day and performance from the great lock as he celebrated becoming the most capped Springboks player of all time. As he usually does in the big matches, he delivered. He was excellent in all facets of the game with his trademark physicality and work rate. The no-look pass at the lineout was superb too. 8
3 Frans Malherbe: Back in the starting XV and gave Thomas Gallo a working over in the scrums as he put on an absolute clinic. He was the quietest of the Springboks’ forwards around the park but that mattered little as his job was to demolish the Pumas pack in the scrums and that was precisely what he did. 8
2 Bongi Mbonambi: A star of the vastly improved set-pieces as he hit his jumper and on occasion runner with every lineout dart. He too made a couple of passes and carries in what was a stock-standard classy shift from the hooker. 7
1 Ox Nche: Another brilliant out from the magnificent loosehead prop, who comfortably dominated the scrums, but his job was far from done there as he shone around the park too. He passed well, cleaned up scraps and carried well. 8
Replacements: It took a while for the famous Bomb Squad to get firing but when it did, it blew Argentina off the park. The replacement front-rowers continued the dominance in the scrum with Malcolm Marx grabbing a try. Kwagga Smith and Elrigh Louw were superb in the loose while Cobus Reinach and Handre Pollard added energy and calmness to put the final nail in the coffin. Lukhanyo Am also shone as each member of the bench lifted the performance. 8
