Springbok player ratings from 29-24 win against All Blacks in third Test

There were some quality performances from several Bok players. The Springboks beat the All Blacks 29-24 in the third Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at FNB Stadium in Joburg on Saturday to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-Test series. The teams were locked at 12-all at half-time. The fourth Test is next Saturday in Baltimore, USA. This is how The Citizen rated the performance of the Bok players, out of 10, on Saturday. Cheslin Kolbe 8: Unfortunately, the multi-skilled backline star lasted only 11 minutes before failing a head injury assessment. Up to then though he was solid in his new role of fullback, kicking well out of hand and cleaning up loose balls in defence in the back field. Kurt-Lee Arendse 8: He worked his socks off, all over the field, making several important tackles, many of them by chasing back. He also scored a nice try, but knocked on badly on one occasion. Jesse Kriel 8: A bit of a mixed bag … he made some strong runs, once getting close to the tryline, and once bumping off a defender and running in a super try. Made some good tackles, but also knocked on badly once. Damian de Allende 7: A powerful presence in midfield, he made some big tackles and carried strongly, once bumping off a defender and sending Arendse on his way for his try. He even stole a ball on the ground on one occasion. Ethan Hooker 8: Another superb outing for the winger … he chased balls, jumped high for kicks, made numerous big tackles and ran hard when he got the chance. Just a very solid all-round, all-action performance. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 7: He got a yellow card for a deliberate knock down, but otherwise played well. Shifted between flyhalf and fullback. Made some good runs, tackled hard and kicked decently at goal. Cobus Reinach 7: A busy, full-of-action performance. His best bit was all the tackles he made. He simply chased All Blacks players for all 44 minutes he was on the field. His kicks were decent and service good. Jasper Wiese 7: Another game where he didn’t get much chance to run with the ball, but when he did, he made plenty metres. He also pulled off numerous big tackles. He also won a breakdown penalty in a good performance. Pieter-Steph du Toit 6: The big blindside just hasn’t quite hit his straps this series, but he worked hard throughout the contest, making several tackles and carries. He also missed a few tackles. His lineout take which led to Marx’s try was superb. Siya Kolisi 7: The skipper played up to the 57th minute and was full of action. He contributed in tackles made, carries over the gainline and he generally got stuck in all over the field. Such a big presence for the Boks. Ruan Nortjé 6: Another workmanlike performance from the No 5 lock; he was sound in the lineouts and worked hard in broken play, making his tackles, carries and cleans. Quickly becoming the new Mostert. Eben Etzebeth 6: Not as effective and dominant as a week before, but he was good in the lineouts, again making an important steal, while he worked hard in the rucks and mauls, helping the Boks get the upper hand. Wilco Louw 8: The big tighthead wasn’t as influential in broken play as he was in Cape Town, but he was picked to scrum, and scrum he did. He won numerous penalties at the set-piece for the Boks. Malcolm Marx 9: Simply superb. He hit his man in the lineouts and dominated in the tight-loose play. He helped the front row get the better of the All Blacks in the scrums, he won breakdown penalties, and scored a super maul try. Ox Nché 8: He was picked to scrum the life out of the All Blacks and he did, helping his team win numerous penalties in the scrums. He also once showed great hands in a passage of play which nearly resulted in a try. Bench Deon Fourie 7: He came on in the 57th minute and was full of action, first as a flank and later as a hooker. He tackled hard, ran with the ball, and made a nuisance of himself at the breakdowns. Gerhard Steenekamp 8: He got on in the 57th minute and continued to help the Boks dominate in the scrums, winning penalties and getting on top of the visitors. Thomas du Toit 8: Like his fellow front row men, he continued the good scrum work of the starters and got stuck in with some tackles, cleans and carries. Lood de Jager 8: He came on in the 57th minute and made a big impact with his carries and tackles, and showed he is far from being done with Test rugby. André Esterhuizen 7: He worked hard on the side of the scrum when he got on in the 68th minute and helped the Boks get the upper hand in the final 12 minutes. Cameron Hanekom 7: Another bench man who made a big impact, helping the Boks get on top and stay there. He put in some big tackles. Morne van den Berg 9: What an impact. He made several big and important tackles in an action-packed 36 minutes. He kicked well, ran hard and rushed the All Blacks players. His passing was also top notch. Manie Libbok 8: He came on early for Kolbe and played superbly. His passing was crisp, he was good under the high ball, and he made several good tackles. He also got so close to scoring a sensational try.