Springbok player ratings against Ireland

The Springboks suffered their first defeat in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France when they lost 13-8 to the world’s No 1-ranked side Ireland. 

While the Boks went down in the tightly-contested clash, they were not outplayed but errant kicking and mistakes at crucial moments let them down.

TimesLIVE rates the performance of the players:

1 Steven Kitshoff — 6/10 

After conceding a penalty in a dangerous position early on Kitshoff went on to have a decent performance. He was quite influential in the scrums, standing his ground against the impressive Tadgh Furlong.   

2 Bongi Mbonambi — 7/10 

South Africa looked strong in the line-outs and that’s partly due to Mbonambi’s excellent throw-ins. His performance against the Irish definitely gives hope in the absence of the injured Malcolm Marx. Mbonambi needs to improve other aspects, such as helping the Boks pile pressure on opponents at breakdown. 

3 Frans Malherbe — 6/10 

Malherbe was one of the busiest players in the game, putting in a huge shift in defence, but gave away the scrum penalty that saw Ireland regain the lead in the second half. 

4 Eben Etzebeth — 7/10 

Etzebeth didn’t look like a man who has just returned from injury as he was his normal self, causing a lot of problems for Ireland and excellent in defence before he was replaced by Jean Kleyn early in the second half. 

5 Franco Mostert — 7/10 

Mostert was huge at disrupting Ireland’s line-outs and produced a few steals. 

6 Siya Kolisi — 5/10 

The skipper didn’t have a horrible game, but he didn’t command his space like he used to on his best days. Kolisi failed to help South Africa call the shots at breakdown and lost the ball that could have seen the Boks score their first try in the opening half close to the Irish line.

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit — 6/10 

He worked hard for the duration of the game and was at the centre of driving mauls for the Boks, though those didn’t yield success. 

8 Jasper Wiese — 6/10 

Ireland did well preventing Wiese from playing his usual game, which could have been a great advantage for the world champions.

9 Faf de Klerk — 7/10 

De Klerk missed two kicks at poles, though those were from inside his own half. His play was generally good and he made a decent contribution to the team’s attack.

10 Manie Libbok — 3/10 

While providing the last pass to Cheslin Kolbe to score South Africa’s only try, Libbok’s poor kicking for poles was the main reason the Boks lost the match.

11 Cheslin Kolbe — 5/10 

Kolbe scored the try for the Boks, but he was not able to produce his magic that has had the team firing in the past. He conceded a few turnovers. 

12 Damian de Allende — 8/10 

Like opposite number Bundee Aki, who was named man of match, De Allende was one of the standout players and could have easily walked off with the accolade had his team won. He was also instrumental in South Africa’s try with a superb pass to Libbok, who then lobbed wide to Kolbe alone on the left. 

13 Jesse Kriel — 6/10 

Except for his great cover tackle on Hugo Keenan, who was about to cross the whitewash in the 13th minute, Kriel was not able to produce a performance that would have propelled the Boks to victory. 

14 Kurt-Lee Arendse — 6/10 

Arendse is a player who will offer you more with the ball, but on the night the player was not provided that enough. He created a lot of anxiety for Ireland whenever he was in possession. 

15 Damian Willemse — 8/10 

Willemse challenges De Allende for the Boks’ best player on the night. The fullback was sublime with his excellent kicking and marvellous in defence.

Replacements: 

16 Deon Fourie — 6/10 

He made sure South Africa’ continued to be strong in the line-outs even though his 71st minute bad throw cost his team an excellent attacking chance. He defended well. 

17 Ox Nche — 8/10 

Nche came on after 48 minutes for Kitshoff and bossed the scrums, giving Furlong a tough time.

18 Trevor Nyakane — 7/10 

Nyakane made an immediate impact, winning a scrum penalty and went on to give a strong performance. 

19 Jean Kleyn — 5/10 

Kleyn didn’t do much to change the game in favour of the Boks but did well enough against his old teammates. 

20 RG Snyman — 6/10 

Snyman got in and made great runs and was crucial at set-piece battles. 

21 Marco van Staden — 7/10 

Van Staden coming in for Kolisi in the 53rd minute gave South Africa a bit of dominance they needed at the breakdown. 

22 Kwagga Smith — 7/10 

Like Van Staden, he gave the Boks much-needed energy and strength at breakdown. 

23 Cobus Reinach — N/A

Came on for five minutes — not enough time for a rating.