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Springbok player ratings: How the Boks rated in their hard-fought win against Argentina

Cameron Hanekom shines as South Africa overcome a gritty Argentine side in a tense Buenos Aires showdown.

Cameron Hanekom was the best Bok on the field. The Springboks beat Argentina 17-10 in a tight, close game in Buenos Aires last night (8 August). It was 10-all at the break.

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

  • Aphelele Fassi 6: A mixed bag from the fullback. He saved a 50-22 with some slick work out wide, but also dropped a high kick. Had some nice runs, but was bumped off in a tackle.
  • Edwill van der Merwe 7: He worked hard and tried to make an impact. Had some good runs and made some strong tackles. Showed great pace to score a try.
  • Canan Moodie 6: Not his most impactful game. He made the odd good tackle, but had few chances on attack. Made a key pass for Van der Merwe’s try.
  • André Esterhuizen 6: Knocked the ball on badly on one occasion. Made a few tackles and carries, and showed good hands for Van der Merwe’s try. Left the action with a head knock.
  • Ethan Hooker 6: He tried hard to get stuck into the action, but few chances came his way. Chased kicks hard and made some tackles.
  • Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 5: He tried hard and did some good things, but was mostly average – knocked the ball on, made some poor passes, and his kicks out of hand were off target.
  • Cobus Reinach 5: Not his best game for the Boks. He did not ask any questions with the ball around the fringes, while his kicks were far off the mark.
  • Cameron Hanekom 8: The best Bok on the field by some distance. He was outstanding – he worked hard, tackled, carried, won penalties, and scored a try from a pick-and-go.
  • Elrigh Louw 6: Got better as the game went on, but got a bit lost in the action. He made some nice carries and cleaned rucks, but left the field in the 50th minute.
  • Siya Kolisi 7: Only lasted 26 minutes due to his troublesome hamstring acting up again. Before that, however, he looked good with several hard carries and strong tackles.
  • Lood de Jager 7: Energetic in his first game back. He was busy all over the field and showed he is still a quality No 5 – solid carries, cleans, and lineout wins. Off in the 50th minute.
  • Eben Etzebeth 7: Also a good return. He charged down a kick at a ruck, carried on occasion, and tackled well. Not at his absolute best, but will hopefully get there soon.
  • Thomas du Toit 7: Penalised at the first scrum, but dominated later on. Was fairly quiet in general loose play; left the action soon after half-time.
  • Johan Grobbelaar 7: His lineout throws were generally good, except for the long ones. He busied himself in the loose, getting stuck into the action all over the field.
  • Boan Venter 6: Scrummed well, giving the Boks the edge throughout the set-piece, but was fairly quiet around the field. Left the action in the 50th minute.
  • Bench 8: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zachary Porthen, Ben-Jason Dixon, and Cobus Wiese all brought energy and intensity to the forwards when they came on in the second half.

    Marco van Staden, who replaced Kolisi early on, tackled hard and carried strongly. Morné van den Berg’s kicking was poor, but he brought energy to the team, while Handré Pollard’s calmness was key in a tight game. He made one excellent kick into space.

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Jacques van der Westhuyzen

Jacques manages the daily sports offering for online and print at The Citizen. He previously worked as a senior rugby and golf writer for The Star and Independent Media’s weekend print and online publications. He has travelled extensively with the Springboks, touring to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina to cover tours and Test matches. He has also covered several World Sevens Series tournaments, including in Hong Kong. Jacques has covered well over 100 Test matches and numerous other rugby encounters across South Africa. He has also covered a number of the biggest golfing tournaments held in South Africa as well as the 2003 Cricket World Cup. He is passionate about all things sport, with athletics at the top of his great sporting loves. He has 25 years’ experience in mainstream media, as a writer, sub-editor and editor. He is a former recipient of a Sasol Springbok rugby writing award. If you give him a gap, he’ll talk all day about running, on the road and on trails. He’s run numerous marathons and also completed the famous Comrades ultra marathon in KZN. When he’s not running, you might find him on the golf course or squash court, two other favourites past-times.

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