Springbok ratings: Three's a crowd after Boks' second-half capitulation against Wallabies

The Springboks arguably had their worst match in the Rassie Erasmus era when they went down 38-22 to the Wallabies in Johannesburg yesterday.

While they dished up a commanding display in the first half, leading 22-5 at halftime, the Boks conceded 33 points unanswered points in the second half. There were a few good moments in the first half, but the result paints a picture of an indifferent team performance overall

Independent Newspapers' Leighton Koopman rates the Springboks.

15 Aphelele Fassi (3): Not effective on the attack as the starting fullback.

14 Edwill van der Merwe (3): That record of scoring in all of his first four Tests evaded him. Some good touches, but he was restricted by the Wallabies.

13 Jesse Kriel (3): A couple of times, he cut inside when there were opportunities on the outside on the attack. Tackling let him down as well in the build-up to a couple of Aussie tries.

12 Andre Esterhuizen (3): Scored a brilliant try in the first half.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (3): Excellent under the high ball and scored a good try

10 Manie Libbok (3): Some good touches in the first half that put his team on the front foot.

9 Grant Williams (4): Grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck in the first half. Good box-kicking too.

8 Siya Kolisi (3): Good first-half try after spotting an opportunity that caught the Wallaby defenders napping.

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (3): The ball died with him on the wing a couple of times when the Boks attacked.

6 Marco van Staden (3): Could not secure breakdown possession for the side.

5 Lood de Jager (3): The lineouts of the Springboks struggled even with the five-lock on the field.

4 Eben Etzebeth (3): Couldn’t play the enforcer role that he is known for, especially in the second half.

3 Wilco Louw (3): Scrummed well and had the Wallabies under pressure in the first half

2 Malcolm Marx (3): Struggled with his lineout throws and lost three throws, despite effecting turnover ball at the breakdown.

1 Ox Nché (3): Also scrummed strongly alongside Louw and had good carries and defended well in the first half.

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (3): Lost a couple of lineouts and didn’t have the desired impact.

17 Boan Venter (3): Couldn’t put the Wallabies under pressure in the scrum.

18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (3): Didn’t have the desired impact when he took to the field in the second half.

19 Franco Mostert (3): Struggled in the lineouts and wasn’t effective off the bench.

20 Kwagga Smith (3): Pinged a couple of times by the referee with little impact off the bench.

21 Cobus Reinach (3): Slowed the backline ball down behind the forwards.

22 Canan Moodie (3): Not the desired impact off the bench when he took to the field.

23 Damian Willemse (3): A couple of slipped tackles and missed high-kick takes, and couldn’t change the tide.