BY FRANCOIS DE WET
15 Willie le Roux 7/10
SAFE under the high ball and kept Ireland pinned in their half with good kicks for touch. Also played a huge role in the build-up to Kurt-Lee Arendse try.
14 Cheslin Kolbe 8/10
BESIDES his game-changing try after chasing a kick to touch, his work-rate on defence and attack stood out in the Bok win.
13 Jesse Kriel 8/10
HE led the Boks’ early charge with some big carries and showed some deft touches with his passes to get teammates in space and bagged the Man of the Match gong.
Just under 20 minutes to go in this absorbing Test, Boks still lead by 13-8 ⏰#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks #RSAvIRE pic.twitter.com/1apqanPaWc
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 6, 2024
12 Damian de Allende 6/10
SOLID performance on defence but not always physically dominant on the attack, after getting stripped of the ball in contact.
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse 7/10
SCORED the opening try with some style by beating two defenders with slick sidestepping at full tilt. The yellow card he received near the end for offside spoiled a solid performance.
Kurt-Lee Arendse’s step is a work of art 🤩
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 6, 2024
📺 Stream #RSAvIRE live: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw | #Springboks pic.twitter.com/9IzQMpDDtb
10 Handre Pollard 6.5/10
SHOWED glimpses of knowing how to play an attacking game, but missed three penalties and seemed rusty.
9 Faf de Klerk 6.5/10
HIS usual busy self with good distribution and kicks from the base of the ruck but started slowing down as the game wore on.
8 Kwagga Smith 7/10
HAD a bit of a shaky start, fumbling the ball twice from kickoffs, but steadily got into his work with 12 carries and some big tackles.
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit 8/10
TACKLE se baas once again showed he has the biggest engine in the Bok pack by making a team-high 18 tackles and filling in as captain when Kolisi went off in the second half.
This was lekker by big PSTD 👏#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks #RSAvIRE pic.twitter.com/BVK2hHrV2j
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 6, 2024
6 Siya Kolisi 7.5/10
PUT to bed questions over his fitness with big ball-carries and hard hits. Ran straight through Irish centre Robbie Henshaw who had to receive treatment.
5 Francois Mostert 7.5/10
STOLE a couple of important lineouts with Ireland on the attack and is also not shy of making huge hits as his 12 tackles shows.
4 Eben Etzebeth 6/10
A QUIET game for the Bok bruiser in terms of bossing the physical exchanges, but gets a pass mark for his faultless lineout work.
3 Frans Malherbe 6.5/10
WAS solid at scrum time and also made a few unexpected carries, while not steeking lyf weg on defence.
2 Bongi Mbonambi 5.5/10
SOLID with his lineout throws and at scrum time, but needs to calm the aggro after getting involved in a ruk-en-pluk with Irish players.
1 Ox Nche 6/10
SOLID as usual at set-piece and cleaned well at the rucks but was not that impactful as a ball-carrier.
Zoned in 🧐#ForeverGreenForeverGold #Springboks #RSAvIRE pic.twitter.com/wBxqBKY48T
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 6, 2024