Springboks player ratings v England

15 Aphelele Fassi: A few average kicks from the full-back while he didn’t have too many opportunities to stretch his legs. His pass for Arendse’s try was deemed to have gone forward but overall it wasn’t a poor shift from the number 15.

14 Cheslin Kolbe: Kicked poorly with his first two attempts but that was about the only soft moments the world-class winger had as he recovered to produce yet another blinder against England, scoring two stunning tries and ripped open the defence with ease. Freddie Steward made life difficult for the Bok wingers in the air but Kolbe certainly got the better of him on the balance of the game. He starred again to haunt England with a sensational match-winning performance.

13 Jesse Kriel: One of the more quieter Springbok backs but it was by no means a poor performance from the 30-year-old who defended well to shut down several England attacks but hardly saw the ball.

12 Damian de Allende: Set up a crucial try for the Springboks as he powered through the attempted tackles of Henry Slade and Ben Earl to canter into the England half of the pitch and send Kolbe racing away for his second score. That was the highlight of his game but far from his only contribution as he produced yet another tidy shift on defence and carried strongly to the line, linking up with Handre Pollard and Libbok.

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: Like Kolbe, he struggled to get purchase in the air with Steward contesting superbly and conceded a penalty by grabbing the fullback’s arm in a challenge. He won a key turnover and gained over 50 metres.

10 Manie Libbok: A hit-and-miss performance from the fly-half who endured a poor start with his kicks as they lacked distance and he had one charged down. A pinpoint cross-kick landed perfectly for Kolbe but again his place-kicking let him down as he missed two of his four shots at goal. Several positives but outweighed but offset by the negatives.

9 Grant Williams: Scored an absolute blinder as he tore through the England defence and skinned Steward with a lethal no-look side step. The rapid scrum-half showed that he was not a one-trick pony as he once again kicked well and had South Africa’s steaming at times.

8 Jasper Wiese: Outstanding in the collisions whether it was with ball in hand, on defence or on the deck, Wiese dominated the tight exchanges and went hunting with Kolisi superbly on the kick chase. Another powerhouse shift from the number eight.

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Put the pressure on Marcus Smith to score a deserved try and went on to have another stormer as he got stuck into everything during his time on the pitch. He slotted into the second rower again after returning from getting stitched up. He is having some year in Green and Gold.

6 Siya Kolisi (c): Hammered Ben Earl which probably should have disallowed England’s first try but that tackle set the marker for Kolisi’s performance and the Boks skipper maintained that standard. He landed several hefty blows on defence and while he was less busy on attack, it was a standout performance.

5 RG Snyman: An all-action display from the freakishly skilled Springboks Viking. His ability to offload in contact and off the floor is nigh on unmatched by a forward in international rugby. He was excellent at the lineout too, strong defensively and gained over 30 metres.

4 Eben Etzebeth: Made life incredibly difficult for Jack van Poortvliet as he hassled and harried the halfback with his cross kick and that led to Du Toit’s try, this after Smith exploited his charge out of the line to set up a score for Ollie Sleightholme. A few uncharacteristic penalties go against him but that was a theme of the team and not him alone.

3 Wilco Louw: The 50th player to represent the Springboks this year and he made up for lost time as he earned his first cap since 2021 and took his chance with both hands. He put Ellis Genge under pressure at the scrums, tackled well and hit the breakdowns well. Boks have some serious depth up front.

2 Bongi Mbonambi: His lineout darts were much better this week than they were against Scotland while the Bok hooker carried strongly, scrummaged well and made good hits on defence- stock standard performance from the veteran.

1 Ox Nche: He and Will Stuart traded blows in a great scrum battle but the in-form and excellent loosehead’s match was cut short at the 33rd-minute mark with a knee injury that the Springboks coaching team will hope is not too serious. Solid outing.

Replacements: Handre Pollard put in a commanding performance under the high ball and slotted his two kicks at goal perfectly which ultimately pulled South Africa into a two-score lead. Gerhard Steenekamp didn’t have his best performance in Green and Gold and was sent to the sin bin but on the whole, the bench proved to be the difference again.

Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith made telling impacts while Vincent Koch was sensational at the breakdown and at the scrum particularly when he packed down on the loosehead side. Cobus Reinach also won a key turnover while Lukhanyo Am impressed during his short shift. Again, the bench proved to be the difference.