Keo.co.za rates the Springboks XV in their match against Leicester at Welford Road.

South Africa XV

15 Earl Rose (6) - a mix of the outstanding and ordinary. His role in the Springboks’ first try underlined why Springbok coach Peter de Villiers is an unapologetic fan. Standing at first receiver, he threaded through a perfectly weighted grubber with his weaker foot for Jongi Nokwe. The rest of his performance not as flash as his blinding silver boots, particularly his positional play, which was poor at times. Had limited opportunities to attack, but when he did, he often preferred to launch up-and-unders, which had mixed success.

14 Odwa Ndungane (5) - A peripheral figure as the Springboks rarely attacked. Like Rose, his positional play was found wanting at times.

13 Juan de Jongh (5) - His role in the match was limited to defence, where he stood up well. His attacking prowess was nullified by the diabolical performance at scrums and the breakdown.

12 Wynand Olivier (5) - Fronted in defence, particularly against his direct opponent, the robust Manu Tuilagi. A break down the left touchline was the highlight of his attacking performance. Tried hard, but like the rest of the back division, couldn’t have an influence in the absence of an attacking platform.

11 Jongi Nokwe (5) - Showed good pace to chase down Earl Roses’s grubber, but that was the extent of his involvement, as he, like much of the backline, didn’t get any attacking opportunities of note. He didn’t look for any either.

10 Ruan Pienaar (4) - Playing behind a pack who were inept at scrum time didn’t aid his cause, while the pressure the Springboks were put under at the breakdown further compounded his woes. Kicked relatively well for touch under pressure, and banked four of his six kicks at goal, but his shanked kick led to Leicester’s try. Overall another unconvincing performance at 10.

9 Heini Adams (5) - Trying to retrieve the ball from behind a back peddling pack made him look ordinary, but those useless heavies owe the little scrummy a massive apology. This affected other areas of his game, including his service to his receivers and his box kicking, both of which were not good.

8 Ashley Johnson (7) - Robbed of opportunities to attack off the base of the scrums because of their failings in that facet of play, but carried strongly in general play and was committed and largely accurate in defence.

7 Davon Raubenheimer (3) - Did he play? Sure his attacking opportunities were limited, but looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a green, red and white monster truck. Grossly out of his depth and will have to turn in a big performance against Saracens to redeem himself.

6 Dewald Potgieter (5) - Tried valiantly in a position he hasn’t played in for nearly two years, but was outplayed on the deck, and had no impact with ball in hand…when he did get his paws on the pill.

5 Andries Bekker (5) - A secure lineout target and hard working around the park without having any telling influence on the match. Never brought any muscle to scrum time to help his prop.

4 Danie Rossouw (6) - Good at lineouts and carried well when given the opportunities, but like Bekker, did little to ease the pressure on his prop.

3 Jannie du Plessis (2) - His worst performance…ever. Got folded at scrum time like he was a rag doll. The second-choice Springbok tighthead prop needs to make exponential improvements at scrum time to avoid being embarrassed in the coming weeks.

2 Chiliboy Ralepelle (4) - In the 20 minutes he was on (yes he limped off injured again) he found his jumpers with three of four feeds, but made no other notable contributions. Looked every bit the player that hasn’t played for five weeks.

1 Gurthro Steenkamp (2) - Mercifully substituted two minutes into the second half after being butchered at scrum time by Martin Castrogiovanni. Like Du Plessis, this is a game he will never want to watch again. The Springbok selectors need to shallow their pride and make an SOS call to the Free State for some competent props, pronto.

Subs:

16 Bandise Maku (4) - Hit his jumpers with five of seven feeds, but crucially one of those missed it’s mark on the Leicester 5m line. More dynamic than Ralepelle, but that wasn’t hard given his Bulls team-mate’s lethargic performance. Schooled at scrum time.

17 Heinke van der Merwe (3) (on in the 42nd minute) - Didn’t do any better than Steenkamp, and wasn’t expected to given that he has missed the bulk of the season. Anonymous around the park.

18 Alistair Hargreaves (4) (on in 59th min) - No notable impact off the bench, but like Ralepelle and Van der Merwe, how could he be expected to when he’s had so little game time coming into this match? Tried hard, but offered nothing more than effort.

19 Jean Deysel (6) (on in 48th minute) - His powerful ball carries troubled the Tigers at times, but he was fighting largely a one man battle. Should start ahead of Raubenheimer against Saracens as he offers the team infinitely more than the Griquas man does.

20 Francois Hougaard (6) (on in 53rd minute) - He came on at a time when the Springboks started to show a greater appreciation for protecting the ball in contact and as a result looked better than Adams. Sniped around the fringes and distributed well considering the pressure his side were under at scrums and rucks, something Adams was never allowed to do.

21 Meyer Bosman (5) (on in the 63rd minute) - His involvement was limited to a couple of tackles.

22 Riaan Viljoen - Not on long enough to be judged.

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