Springbok player ratings from 29-24 win against All Blacks in third Test

The Springboks beat the All Blacks 29-24 in the third Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at FNB Stadium in Joburg on Saturday to take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-Test series. moryak.biz

The teams were locked at 12-all at half-time.

The fourth Test is next Saturday in Baltimore, USA.

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

Cheslin Kolbe 8: Unfortunately, the multi-skilled backline star lasted only 11 minutes before failing a head injury assessment. Up to then though he was solid in his new role of fullback, kicking well out of hand and cleaning up loose balls in defence in the back field.

Kurt-Lee Arendse 8: He worked his socks off, all over the field, making several important tackles, many of them by chasing back. He also scored a nice try, but knocked on badly on one occasion.

Jesse Kriel 8: A bit of a mixed bag … he made some strong runs, once getting close to the tryline, and once bumping off a defender and running in a super try. Made some good tackles, but also knocked on badly once.

Damian de Allende 7: A powerful presence in midfield, he made some big tackles and carried strongly, once bumping off a defender and sending Arendse on his way for his try. He even stole a ball on the ground on one occasion.

Ethan Hooker 8: Another superb outing for the winger … he chased balls, jumped high for kicks, made numerous big tackles and ran hard when he got the chance. Just a very solid all-round, all-action performance.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu 7: He got a yellow card for a deliberate knock down, but otherwise played well. Shifted between flyhalf and fullback. Made some good runs, tackled hard and kicked decently at goal.

Cobus Reinach 7: A busy, full-of-action performance. His best bit was all the tackles he made. He simply chased All Blacks players for all 44 minutes he was on the field. His kicks were decent and service good.

Jasper Wiese 7: Another game where he didn’t get much chance to run with the ball, but when he did, he made plenty metres. He also pulled off numerous big tackles. He also won a breakdown penalty in a good performance.

Pieter-Steph du Toit 6: The big blindside just hasn’t quite hit his straps this series, but he worked hard throughout the contest, making several tackles and carries. He also missed a few tackles. His lineout take which led to Marx’s try was superb.

Siya Kolisi 7: The skipper played up to the 57th minute and was full of action. He contributed in tackles made, carries over the gainline and he generally got stuck in all over the field. Such a big presence for the Boks.

Ruan Nortjé 6: Another workmanlike performance from the No 5 lock; he was sound in the lineouts and worked hard in broken play, making his tackles, carries and cleans. Quickly becoming the new Mostert.

Eben Etzebeth 6: Not as effective and dominant as a week before, but he was good in the lineouts, again making an important steal, while he worked hard in the rucks and mauls, helping the Boks get the upper hand.

Wilco Louw 8: The big tighthead wasn’t as influential in broken play as he was in Cape Town, but he was picked to scrum, and scrum he did. He won numerous penalties at the set-piece for the Boks.

Malcolm Marx 9: Simply superb. He hit his man in the lineouts and dominated in the tight-loose play. He helped the front row get the better of the All Blacks in the scrums, he won breakdown penalties, and scored a super maul try.

Ox Nché 8: He was picked to scrum the life out of the All Blacks and he did, helping his team win numerous penalties in the scrums. He also once showed great hands in a passage of play which nearly resulted in a try.

Bench

Deon Fourie 7: He came on in the 57th minute and was full of action, first as a flank and later as a hooker. He tackled hard, ran with the ball, and made a nuisance of himself at the breakdowns.

Gerhard Steenekamp 8: He got on in the 57th minute and continued to help the Boks dominate in the scrums, winning penalties and getting on top of the visitors.

Thomas du Toit 8: Like his fellow front row men, he continued the good scrum work of the starters and got stuck in with some tackles, cleans and carries.

Lood de Jager 8: He came on in the 57th minute and made a big impact with his carries and tackles, and showed he is far from being done with Test rugby.

André Esterhuizen 7: He worked hard on the side of the scrum when he got on in the 68th minute and helped the Boks get the upper hand in the final 12 minutes.

Cameron Hanekom 7: Another bench man who made a big impact, helping the Boks get on top and stay there. He put in some big tackles.

Morne van den Berg 9: What an impact. He made several big and important tackles in an action-packed 36 minutes. He kicked well, ran hard and rushed the All Blacks players. His passing was also top notch.

Manie Libbok 8: He came on early for Kolbe and played superbly. His passing was crisp, he was good under the high ball, and he made several good tackles. He also got so close to scoring a sensational try.

Siya Kolisi has lauded the Springboks’ resilience after another thrilling victory over the All Blacks in Johannesburg.

The Boks edged the All Blacks 29-24 at FNB Stadium on Saturday to leave South African soil 2-1 ahead with one Test in the series left to play in Baltimore, USA next Saturday.

MORE: Boks, All Blacks suffer big injury blows

The victory also saw Kolisi surpass John Smit as the Springbok captain with the most Test wins, taking his tally to 55. But for Kolisi, the biggest reward was giving the supporters something to celebrate after a difficult opening to the match where they lost fullback Cheslin Kolbe to injury and went down to 14-men for ten minutes when flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

“We wanted to say thank you for the whole year that you’ve been supporting us. It hasn’t always gone our way,” Kolisi told SuperSport.

“The first couple of minutes were really tough, but we could hear you and feel you behind us. Thank you for all that you do, thank you for inspiring us each and every day.

“I know Monday next week will be good in South Africa.”

HOOKER: I love playing the All Blacks

It was a typically South African observation from the Bok skipper, with the mood of the nation often closely linked to the result on the rugby field. The Boks were made to work for their victory, with the All Blacks racing into the contest and putting the hosts under enormous pressure during the opening exchanges.

Kolisi admitted the intensity was felt by the players, but praised the Boks for limiting the damage before fighting their way back into the contest.

“We’re so proud of the win today, but great game from the All Blacks. They pushed us to the limit,” he said.

“They came like a house on fire, especially in those first 25 minutes. The lungs were pumping hard, but we did so well to make sure we didn’t concede more points and then also we fought back. The way we finished at the end was a lot better than the last two weeks,” he said.

PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs All Blacks

Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images

The post Siya: Monday will be a good day in SA appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

New-look Manchester City overcame a spirited challenge from Coventry on Saturday courtesy of an Erling Haaland goal to stay perfect in the Premier League, as blunt Tottenham were held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest.

Enzo Maresca is now the man in the Etihad hotseat after the emotional departure of long-serving Pep Guardiola, while there has been significant churn among the playing staff.

One of the new arrivals, Enzo Fernandez, played a major part in City’s first-half goal, feeding Antoine Semenyo, who crossed for Haaland to head home his third of the season.

Table-topping City have won all three of their Premier League matches ahead of next week’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Former Chelsea boss Maresca said teams needed “ugly moments” as well as free-flowing football after the stodgy win, in which newly promoted Coventry squandered chances.

“I really liked today for different reasons,” the Italian told the BBC. “First half we could have scored one or two more, but we worked together to win so I am happy.

“It is difficult against teams in a low block, I felt we dealt very well with that. Anxiety from the fans is normal. Nine out of 10 of these games you end with bad feeling, but it is important to win 1-0.”

Midfielder Fernandez arrived at the Etihad on transfer deadline day in a £125 million ($170 million) deal, which equalled the British record.

Maresca handed his former charge at Chelsea a start after Nico O’Reilly sustained an injury in the warm-up, while fellow new signing Iliman Ndiaye also made his debut for the club.

The City boss is working with a reshaped squad following several high-profile departures, including those of former Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

As well as Fernandez and Ndiaye, big-money arrivals include England midfielder Elliot Anderson and Morocco teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi, who both featured on Saturday.

– Spurs held –

Tottenham also spent heavily in the summer transfer window in a desperate effort to avoid fresh embarrassment after finishing 17th in successive seasons.

They travelled to the City Ground, after defeats to Brentford and Newcastle, to face a team that twice beat them heavily last season, and still searching for their first Premier League goal of the new campaign.

Forest had the ball in the net midway through the second half after calamitous Spurs defending, but Neco Williams’s strike was ruled out for handball following a VAR check.

The 0-0 draw means that Forest, who, like Spurs, flirted with relegation last season, are also still seeking their first win.

Ukrainian forward Mykhailo Mudryk, who joined Tottenham on loan this week, was introduced as a substitute in the 74th minute for his first competitive action since November 2024 following a doping ban.

“Disappointed for the result but for the performance very happy, considering we started to work together last Thursday for the first time, for the first day,” Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi told Sky Sports, referring to the end of the transfer window.

He added: “If we improve in the last third I think we can score many goals because we have the players with big qualities. Now is a tough moment to accept this result because I think we played well.”

Vitaly Janelt opened the scoring for high-flying Brentford against Sunderland but Enzo Le Fee levelled from the penalty spot late in the game to force a 1-1 draw.

Leeds drew 1-1 at Brighton while Tyrick Mitchell scored two goals as Crystal Palace twice came from behind to earn a 3-2 win at Fulham, with Ben Chilwell netting the winner.

In the early kick-off, Newcastle recovered from going 2-0 down to secure a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, staying unbeaten in all competitions under new manager Matthias Jaissle.

Hull host Aston Villa in the evening kick-off while champions Arsenal are in action against in-form Chelsea on Sunday.

On Friday, Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool beat Ipswich 2-0 to claim their first win of the season.

World Cup-winning former Brazilian national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was on Saturday given the all-clear to go home, said the hospital where he has been since June.

The 83-year-old “showed a favourable clinical response” over his stay and “will receive home and outpatient care to monitor his general condition”, said a statement from the Samaritano Barrale Hospital in Rio de Janeiro.

Parreira has been suffering from Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, since 2023, and was admitted with pneumonia on June 16.

He underwent surgery after his condition worsened and was then placed on a ventilator in an intensive care unit.

On July 27, he was moved to a semi-intensive care unit.

Parreira led Brazil to their fourth World Cup title in 1994. He holds the record for the most World Cup appearance as head coach.

In addition to his two World Cup stints leading the Selecao in 1994 and 2006, he coached Kuwait in 1982, the United Arab Emirates in 1990, Saudi Arabia in 1998 and South Africa in 2010.