Springboks player ratings: ‘World class’ Cheslin Kolbe ‘tears’ England apart: Planet Rugby

Following the Springboks’ 20-29 win over England at Twickenham Stadium, here’s how we rated Rassie Erasmus’ men in the Autumn Nations Series Test.

Springboks vs England player ratings

15 Aphelele Fassi: A few mediocre kicks from the full-back when he didn’t get too many chances to stretch his legs. His pass for Arendse’s try was deemed to have gone ahead, but overall it wasn’t a bad shift from the number 15. 5

14 Cheslin Kolbe: He kicked poorly with his first two tries, but those were about the only soft moments the world-class winger had as he recovered to produce another blinder against England, who scored two stunning tries and ripped open the defense with ease. Freddie Steward made life difficult for the Bok wingers in the air, but Kolbe certainly got the upper hand for the rest of the game. He once again starred for England with a sensational, match-winning performance. 9

13 Jesse Kriel: One of the quieter Springbok backs, but it was by no means a poor performance from the 30-year-old who defended well and blocked several English attacks but barely saw the ball. 6

12 Damian de Allende: Set up a crucial try for the Springboks as he powered through the tackles of Henry Slade and Ben Earl to gallop into the England half of the field and send Kolbe racing clear for his second score. That was the highlight of his game, but far from his only contribution, as he made another neat defensive change and moved strongly to the line, following up with Handre Pollard and Libbok. 8

11 Kurt Lee Arendse: Like Kolbe, he struggled to get a grip in the air, while Steward put up an excellent fight and was awarded a penalty by grabbing the wing-back’s arm during a challenge. He made a key turnover and gained more than 50 yards. 6

10 Manie Libbok: A mixed performance from the fly-half, who got off to a bad start with his kicks as they had no distance and he had shot one. An accurate cross-kick landed perfectly for Kolbe, but once again his place-kicking let him down as he missed two of his four shots on target. Several positives, but outweighed by the negatives. 5

9 Grant Williams: Scored an absolute blinder as he tore through the England defense and skinned Steward with a deadly side step without looking. The speedy scrum-half showed he was not a one-trick pony as he once again kicked well and had South Africa on fire at times. 8

Springboks show championship qualities as Cheslin Kolbe scores twice to beat England and pile more pressure on Steve Borthwick

8 Jasper Wiese: Wiese was excellent in the collisions, whether with ball in hand, in defense or on the deck, dominating the tight exchanges and chasing excellently with Kolisi in the chase. Another powerful shift from number eight. 7

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: Put the pressure on Marcus Smith to score a deserved try and got another stormer as he got stuck in everything during his time on the field. He got back into the second rower after returning from a stitch. He has a year in Green and Gold. 8

6 Siya Kolisi (c): Hammered Ben Earl, who probably should have disallowed England’s first try, but that tackle set the tone for Kolisi’s performance and the Boks skipper maintained that standard. He took some big hits on defense and although he was less involved in attack, it was a standout performance. 8

5 RG Snyman: An action-packed spectacle from the bizarrely skilled Springboks Viking. His ability to unleash both through contact and from the floor is virtually unrivaled by any forward in international rugby. He was also excellent at the lineout, defending strongly and gaining over 30 metres. 7

4 Eben Etzebeth: Made life incredibly difficult for Jack van Poortvliet as he harassed and harassed the halfback with his cross kick and that led to Du Toit’s try, after Smith had exploited his run off the line to set up a score for Ollie Sleightholme. A few uncharacteristic penalties went against him, but that was a team theme and not just him. 7

3 Wilco Louw: The 50th player to represent the Springboks this year and he made up for lost time, earning his first cap since 2021 and grabbing his opportunity with both hands. He put Ellis Genge under pressure at the scrums, tackled well and hit the breakdowns well. Boks have serious depth up front. 7

2 Bongi Mbonambi: His lineout darts were much better this week than against Scotland, while the Bok hooker performed strongly, scrumming well and making good hits to the veteran’s standard performance in defence. 6

1 Os Nche: He and Will Stuart traded blows in a great scrum battle, but the in-form and excellent loosehead contest was abandoned after the 33rd minute with a knee injury that the Springboks coaching team hope is not too serious. Solid outing. 5

Replacements: Handre Pollard put in an impressive performance under the high ball, hitting his two kicks perfectly on target to ultimately take South Africa to a two-score lead. Gerhard Steenekamp did not have his best performance in Green and Gold and was sent to the sin bin, but overall the bench turned out to make the difference again. Elrigh Louw and Kwagga Smith impressed, while Vincent Koch was sensational in the breakdown and at the scrum, especially when packing on the loosehead side. Cobus Reinach also achieved an important turnover, while Lukhanyo Am impressed during his short shift. Once again the bank turned out to be the difference. 9

READ MORE: Ireland grand slams work ethic from Andy Farrell’s side as ‘trouble’ predicted as ‘desperate’ discipline continues