15 Aphelele Fassi: What a year it has been for full-back Fassi who has really broken into the squad in 2024. He grabbed his sixth try of the year in green and gold and racked up over 90 metres. He was solid at the back and will be pleased he got his hands on the ball more than he did last week. 7

14 Cheslin Kolbe: Not quite as box-office as he was last week but by no means any less effective. He and Kurt-Lee Arendse carved open the Welsh defence with regular ease and he was excellent under the high ball too. Another fine performance in a superb year for the World Rugby Player of the Year nominee. 8

13 Jesse Kriel: Linked up brilliantly with Damian de Allende, made great reads on defence on the odd occasion that Wales did have the ball. He threatened the Welsh defence with every carry he made, beating over six defenders and set his flyers away on multiple occasions. A bit understated but still excellent. 7

12 Damian de Allende: Always tipped by his Springboks teammates as the most underrated player and today he showed why they believe that. He threw a great long pass to set up Arendse’s try and gained over 50 metres in a brilliant attacking shift. He defended well too on the odd occasion he had to. He also produced a great cross-kick that almost resulted in a try if it weren’t for a great bit of defence from Blair Murray. 8

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Last week the chat centred around the brilliance of Kolbe but this week it was the other livewire, pocket rocket speedster who was outrageously brilliant. Every time he touched the ball, he caused all kinds of issues as the winger assisted two tries and scored one himself in a dazzling display. Simply world-class by the speedster. 9

10 Jordan Hendrikse: A mixed bag from the fly-half who was burned by Rio Dyer on the outside – the Welshman does that to a lot of players – and he should not have given the speedster that much space. He had some great moments with his kicks from hand and a few superb decisions with ball in hand but there were also soft moments of wasteful possessions. He had some tough kicks from the tee too but is usually more accurate. 6

9 Jaden Hendrikse: How he would have loved his brother to hold on to his overhead kick and score but it was not to be and that somewhat encapsulated his performance. As much as he kept the Bok attack on top with his service, he was still error-ridden. A solid performance but not up to what his talents promise. 6

Back-five forwards

8 Jasper Wiese: Aggressive in his carries and in all of his contacts as he set the tone physically. Once again he was good at the breakdown too. Wiese has been a man on a mission since he missed the start of the international season through suspension but he has finished the year with a mighty bang. He took so much bite out of the Welsh defence with his hammering carries. 8

7 Elrigh Louw: With South Africa dominating possession while he was on the pitch, Louw had little to do on defence but made five good shots in defence. He was powerful with the ball in hand and grabbed a try from close range. He capped off a fine year in Green and Gold with another strong outing before making way for Cameron Hanekom to make his debut. 7

6 Siya Kolisi: Carried strongly for the most part but not as stunningly effective as he has been against Wales. Where he really shone was his breakdown clearouts which proved to be the difference between a try or Wales getting out of jail on multiple occasions. He made some great shots on defence too and showed off his soft hands and clever running lines, the latter assisting in Fassi’s try. 7

5 Franco Mostert: Ran a delicious line to score the opening try of the match in what was just his second game back from a broken leg. Mostert conceded the odd soft penalty but that always comes with an incredible work-rate and today he hit his usual standards while running a lineout that operated efficiently once again. Rewarded for his efforts by being named man of the match. 8

4 Eben Etzebeth: Lasted 29 minutes and was given a rousing applause from the Welsh fans after a cracking cameo. He ran in a try after a swift turnover attack and kept up with Arendse. That was the highlight of his performance but the World Rugby Player of the Year nominee was excellent in his carries once again while pestering the Welsh half-backs. He could well be named as the best player in the world tomorrow and it would be deserved. 8

Brutal Springboks front-row

3 Wilco Louw: Part of a dominant scrummaging effort from the Springboks’ starting front-row that was brutally relentless. Not initially set to feature in this match, but he will be pleased that he got his chance and he took it with both hands as he got the better of the powerful Nicky Smith, making Thomas du Toit’s job easier. 8

2 Johan Grobbelaar: Part of the reason he hasn’t been a regular feature in the team has been his shortcomings in the scrum but that was not evident today. His lineout darts were on point all game and he shone with ball in hand, gaining 15 metres and he made three passes. He proved that there is quality in the hooker jersey beyond Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi. 8

1 Thomas du Toit: He simply obliterated the Welsh scrum and his Bath teammate Archie Griffin, forcing an early sub from Warren Gatland. He did his job at the breakdown and on defence. Switching from tighthead to loosehead is no easy task, but Du Toit made it look simple as he dominated in the scrums today. 9

Replacements: There was no need for the Bomb Squad to come in and save the day but they certainly kept the pace the starters set. The front-row did not let up on the pressure created by the strong start while Hanekom made a solid impact in his first Springboks appearance. Handre Pollard added a real bite to the attack along with Cobus Reinach while RG Snyman brought X-factor along with his aggression. 8