Following a stunning 33-16 victory over the Springboks in the first Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry at Ellis Park on Saturday, here are the player ratings for the All Blacks.
15 Damian McKenzie: One piece of skill – a lovely back of the hand pass – was the highlight of his first half but he struggled to instigate attacking opportunities as the Boks generally controlled the game. However, came into the game after the interval with a stunning break following a lovely Will Jordan pass as the visitors became a bigger threat. 7
14 Will Jordan: Showed his predatory instincts with the opening try by firstly spotting the space and then finishing well before being his majestic self after the break. Scored another, set up other chances and also did some brilliant work without the ball, including a fantastic turnover. 9
13 Quinn Tupaea: Couldn’t show those lovely dextrous pass and off-loads on the gain line due to the pressure the Springboks defence exerted. Did miss a couple of tackles but they were pretty well organised in those wide channels. 6
Incredible yet again
12 Jordie Barrett: The All Blacks lived off scraps initially, but Barrett made the most of those chances and was once again at the heart of all that they did well in attack. Was also immense without the ball, meeting the Boks’ physical challenge head-on and earning a number of turnovers. Every decision he made was outstanding. 9
11 Josh Moorby: Scored a lovely try following Tupou Vaa’i’s delicious off-load but it was otherwise a struggle for the wing. Has done well under the high ball in his previous Tests but it is a different game against the Boks and he was exposed in that area. 5
10 Ruben Love: Again, it was Barrett and Cam Roigard taking command with Love looking to inject himself around that. There were a couple of threatening moments from the fly-half but we’re still waiting for that truly breakout game. 6
9 Cam Roigard: Superb once again on both sides of the ball. His box-kicking was accurate, albeit Damian Willemse did well to defuse them, and then he injected tempo and made excellent decisions when they had opportunities. Lovely pass for the first try too. 8
8 Ardie Savea (c): Did his best behind a platform which was initially going backwards, but came to the fore in the second period with some brilliant moments. His surge off the back of the scrum led to Luke Jacobson’s try while his turnover led to yellow cards to Marco van Staden and Cobus Reinach which sealed the win. 8
Dave Rennie gets it right
7 Luke Jacobson: Has absolutely justified Dave Rennie’s decision to include him. Brilliant work at the breakdown in both attack and defence, including a crucial counter-ruck which relieved the pressure on his side. Then rewarded for his efforts with a try. 8
6 Tupou Vaa’i: Was used constantly in the wide channels to great effect and that paid dividends when his off-load created the score for Moorby. Then moved to lock when Josh Lord went off and he did a fine job at close quarters. 8
5 Fabian Holland: It was a big call to bring him in after just two games since last November but the big lock was utterly superb. Timed his charge down well to score a try and did some fine work in the set-piece, despite a couple of issues in the second period. 8
4 Josh Lord: Part of a pack which was getting dominated before he went off. His position may therefore be under threat with a number of locks champing at the bit. 5
3 Tyrel Lomax: Was hammered in the scrum and didn’t manage to impact matters too much in the loose. Eventually went off after 50 minutes of going into reverse. 4
2 Codie Taylor: Part of a scrum which issues but his lineout work was solid and he did some nice things around the field. 6
1 Ethan de Groot: Similar to Lomax, De Groot had his issues in the set-piece. Some nice touches around the field before he went off following a head clash with Lord, but it’s the scrum which he needs to improve. 4
Replacements: Fantastic. Make no mistake, this could have gone another way but George Bower, along with a couple of sly tricks, helped to get them back into the set-piece battle, while Fletcher Newell was also an improvement on Lomax. Simon Parker’s size was useful in the back-row and Asafo Aumua was physical and abrasive in the loose, although there were a couple of lost lineouts. 8
READ MORE: Springboks v All Blacks, LIVE BLOG: Relive our coverage of the Greatest Rivalry Test