Springbok player ratings from 18-12 win against All Blacks in Cape Town

The Springboks beat the All Blacks 18-12 in their second meeting in the Rugby Championship in Cape Town on Saturday to win the Freedom Cup and to put one hand on the competition trophy.

The Boks also beat their fiercest rivals 31-27 at Ellis Park last weekend.

The Boks have now gone four matches unbeaten in the competition and also recorded four straight wins against the All Blacks. This is the first time the Boks have won the Freedom Cup since 2009.

This is how The Citizen rated the performance of the Bok players, out of 10.

Willie le Roux 7: It was a strong all-round performance by the veteran fullback. He added an extra attacking threat with his line entries, and was strong under the high ball. He made a key “intercept” intervention which may have prevented a try, but it earned him a yellow card.

Canan Moodie 6: A satisfying return to Test rugby; he chased plenty of ball, cleaned up well in defence at times, but was caught out on a few occasions as well. He left the action in the 45th minute.

Jesse Kriel 6: It was an up-and-down showing, with plenty asked of him defensively. He made some tackles but was also caught out in defence at times. He did make one or two good defensive reads of All Blacks play.

Damian de Allende 9: An outstanding performance; he carried regularly getting over the gainline, made plenty of tackles, stole ball at the breakdowns and, late on, made an important charge down to thwart an All Blacks attacking play.

Cheslin Kolbe 8: It was another busy performance, with some excellent moments; he was a threat with ball in hand and in space, he put in some important tackles and took balls out of the air. Even fed the lineout that resulted in Siya Kolisi’s try. Strong outing.

Handre Pollard 7: He kicked well and cleverly out of hand, and varied his game nicely, while goal-kicking was also spot on. He had some strong runs, with one nice line break, and made some big tackles. Off in the 52nd minute.

Grant Williams 6: His service was slick, while he varied his game nicely and put in a few important tackles. He kicked well out of hand; left the action in the 60th minute. Not as effective as off the bench.

Jasper Wiese 7: For the second week in a row, he delivered a strong performance at No 8. He carried strongly, made a good breakdown steal and ran hard at the opposition, with one nice break. Was yellow-carded for cynical play. Off in the 52nd minute.

Pieter-Steph du Toit 7: Another solid showing by the work-horse; he made plenty of tackles, carried regularly and cleaned rucks. He was also strong in the lineouts, with one important steal at the end of the clash.

Siya Kolisi 7: He pulled off a number of tackles, carried often and strongly and cleaned rucks. He was all powerful in diving over the line for the Boks’ first try. Solid outing for the captain, he left the action in the 56th minute.

Ruan Nortje 7: He was solid in the lineouts with several wins and the odd steal, pulled off a number of tackles and was solid in receiving restarts. A solid, workman-like performance.

Eben Etzebeth 8: Was back to his best with a real presence in the action throughout the 80 minutes. He was a regular carrier, he made a number of tackles and cleaned rucks. He was also sound in the lineouts; a huge game in all respects.

Frans Malherbe 7: He never went backwards in the scrums and got himself involved in the general action, with an occasional carry and tackle. Was replaced in the 52nd minute.

Bongi Mbonambi 5: It wasn’t the veteran’s best outing as he missed to find his lineout jumper on a few occasions, but he got himself involved in general play with some good carries, while he also made several tackles. Left the action in the 45th minute.

Ox Nche 8: He was solid in the scrums, getting the better of his opponent and he also managed to get stuck in in general play, by pulling off a number of tackles. Left the action in the 55th minute.

Bench 7: Malcolm Marx was the outstanding impact player, bringing energy to the contest. He nailed his lineout throws, ran hard at the opposition, carried strongly, and powered over in the corner for the match-winning try. A superb effort.

Vincent Koch and Gerhard Steenekamp scrummed well, made some tackles and carried hard, as did Elrigh Louw. Kwagga Smith had some good runs, busied himself in all the action and tackled as if his life depended on it.

Jaden Hendrikse brought some spark to the No 9 position, while he put in some good kicks as well. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu had a mixed performance; kicking out of hand and at goal was iffy, but did some good stuff on attack, with one nice run, while his defensive work was solid.

Lukhanyo Am was sound in his 25 minutes on the field, showing up strongly in defence and securing ball from restarts and kicks.