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Springboks player ratings vs Italy | Castle Lager Incoming Series
Springboks player ratings: The Springboks never looked like losing to a second-string Italian outfit but this was hardly a vintage performance in a 42–24 victory.
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For the vast majority of the contest, men in green ran hard and straight at tacklers in white. There was little variety, with just the occasional spark.
The second half was plagued by ill discipline and a lack of accuracy. Only a handful of players excelled across a staccato game that saw the breakdown disintegrate and the vaunted Bomb Squad explode with all the menace of a Christmas cracker. Still, a win is a win and the Test season is up and running.
1. Ox Nche – 8
Another imperious display in the scrum. A penalty machine who provides continued go-forward ball. South Africa’s second try was scored by Morne van den Berg, but it belonged to the Springboks pack and their mighty front row, who shoved the Italians over their own line.
Replaced by Jan-Hendrik Wessels on 47 minutes.
2. Malcolm Marx – 7
Relatively quiet by his usually lofty standards but still a menace with ball in hand while also landing nine tackles. Nailed one long throw from the line-out to cap off an all-round show.
Replaced by Bongi Mbonambi on 47 minutes.
3. Wilco Louw – 8
Strong scrumming and robust carrying. His heft was a constant threat whenever he was involved.
Replaced by Vincent Koch on 47 minutes.
4. Eben Etzebeth – 6
Industrious without being overly dominant. The Italians targeted his runs and doubled up on the big man. Showed great energy in the loose, where he was also deployed as a high kick chaser, occasionally winning the ball back. Handy in the line-out.
Replaced by RG Snyman on 47 minutes.
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5. Lood de Jager – 5
Made 10 tackles but was relatively anonymous barring a few line-out contributions. Just one of those games for the star second-rower.
Replaced by Franco Mostert on 47 minutes.
6. Marco van Staden – 7
Strong carries and ruck clearances. Van Staden ticked most of the boxes that need ticking from a Boks No. 6 and bagged a deserving try late in the piece. Perhaps could have shown more in the trams and in the loose with ball in hand.
7. Vincent Tshituka – 6
A special day for the 26-year-old who completed his journey from child refugee from the Congo to Springbok starter. Elite sport, though, doesn’t always deliver the fairytale, and the debutant had a try chalked off after Nche found himself in an offside position as Damien Willemse burst upfield on a counter that ended with Tshituka dotting down in the corner.
Elsewhere he was simply OK. The entire back row failed to gain the upper hand at the breakdown as South Africa lost 10 turnovers in the first half alone. Tshituka, along with the rest of the trio at the back of the pack, loses points as a consequence.
8. Jasper Wiese – 8
Offered strong carries with plenty of go-forward ball, acting as a battering ram. One of the few players on the pitch who benefitted from the ultra-narrow game plan.
Replaced by Kwagga Smith on 56 minutes.
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9. Morne van den Berg – 6.5
Zippy and busy, he also notched his first and second Test tries. His opener was simple—he merely had to fall onto the ball after a South African scrum consumed the Italian pack right in front of the poles. His second was more impressive, dummied and stepped from close range.
Elsewhere he was slightly one-dimensional with ball in play. This was no fault of his own—he was clearly following instructions. Still, it was hard to gauge van den Berg’s creative output when he was primarily asked to hit one-up runners with short passes.
Replaced by Faf de Klerk on 54 minutes.
10. Handre Pollard – 6.5
Didn’t see much of the ball in the first half as the Boks persisted with a one-pass game off the scrum-half. Showed more intent in patches across the second half but still struggled to find fluency. His kicking was faultless, as you’d expect from the human metronome with ice in his veins. Earns an extra half point for his unnervingly accurate right boot.
11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 8.5
Scarcely touched the ball for half an hour before he ventured off his wing to receive the ball off the top of a line-out. From midfield, he exploded through the half gap and in the blink of an eye was diving over for a try. He now has 19 tries in 25 matches for the Springboks. One of the world’s best showed his all-round value with a stunning try-saving tackle in the corner around the hour mark, sprinting across and shunting the sliding Simone Gesi out a fraction of a second before the ball was grounded.
12. Damian de Allende – 7
Won just about every collision he was involved in, as you’d expect. What really stood out were the neat touches in close quarters and accurate kicks off the toe. One grubber set up Jesse Kriel’s opening try and another raking kick into space sparked the sequence that led to South Africa’s second, scored by van den Berg off the back of a dominant scrum.
Replaced by Willie le Roux on 63 minutes.
13. Jesse Kriel – 7
Once one of the most divisive players in South African rugby, Kriel became the 67th man to captain the Springboks and capped off the achievement with a 10th-minute try, latching onto a grubber from his long-time midfield partner. An assured performance.
14. Cheslin Kolbe – 6
Mostly a spectator, particularly in the first half where the ball almost never went beyond the 12 channel. Still, his whirring feet meant that bums lifted off seats whenever he got his hands on the pill.
15. Damian Willemse – 6
Playing in green and gold for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final, Willemse’s most telling contribution was scrapped from the record books as Nche obstructed a would-be Italian tackler following a devastating counter from the fullback. Willemse never put a foot wrong but was a peripheral figure as a consequence of the Boks’ conservative approach.
16. Bongi Mbonambi – 4
His first two line-outs ended in turnovers. Could not add impetus off the bench.
17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels – 4
Didn’t impact the game as the second half fizzled into a bit of a drab affair.
18. Vincent Koch – 6
Rumbled over for a try from close range, rounding off a rare slick move that saw several offloads and continuity between players. As a result, the only member of the Bomb Squad who earns a positive score.
19. RG Snyman – 4
Landed one stiff tackle but, like most of the Bomb Squad, could not add any extra heft from the bench. In fact, things seemed to fall apart when the heavy hitters entered the scene.
20. Franco Mostert – 4
Hardly the only player to blame but part of a poor show in the second half with the replacements unable to live up to the hype and fireworks that accompanied their introduction.
21. Kwagga Smith – 4
Could not rectify the very serious concerns at the breakdown that cost South Africa two soft tries in the second half.
22. Faf de Klerk – 5
Added control when he had front-foot ball. Could have done with some help from the changed pack in front of him.
23. Willie le Roux – 5
Now just one away from 100 appearances for the Springboks. Was this the penultimate Test match for Willie le Roux? If it was, it wasn’t one to remember. He had just one opportunity to influence the game when the ball broke down the left with runners in support. Perhaps an earlier version of the assist king would have better timed his pass to Arendse. Instead, the Boks had to recycle the move, which would end with van Staden busting over the line.
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