Springboks player ratings: SFM and Jasper Wiese shine in gutsy Bok display

Springboks player ratings v France

Backs

15 Damian Willemse: Did his job and did it solidly. He was good under the high ball and even regathered one of his own kicks. Didn't have much impact on the attack, but didn't get too many opportunities either. Subbed off in the second half to allow Manie Libbok to come on and change the attacking picture, which paid off. 6

14 Cheslin Kolbe: Grew into the game as it went on, really coming into his own, but the diminutive winger really shone with his super-strengths, with his elastic-like springs into the air. 7

13 Jesse Kriel: Crucial in running the defence with a man short and did so fantastically, with only Pieter-Steph du Toit making more tackles. Made good decisions with ball in hand. 7

12 Damian de Allende: Like Kolisi, he was a victim of De Jager's red card as Erasmus made full use of Andre Esterhuizen's utility. De Allende was strong with his carries to the line and sound defensively, but didn't quite have the accuracy with his chip kicks, which meant it was just wasted possession. 6

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse: A tough start for the winger as he was beaten in the air and then caught being a bit too slow to turn as Damian Penaud grabbed the opening score. However, Arendse recovered well to contest brilliantly under the high ball, troubled the French defence with the rare opportunities he got with the ball in hand in too. 6

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu: Crowned Man of the Match as the rise, rise and rise of Feinberg-Mngomezulu continues to be meteoric. His contestable kicks were excellent. He started kicking for goal well at first, fell off a bit, but found his accuracy again before scything through to score the try that ended France's chances. A generational talent who is producing on the biggest stage. 8

9 Cobus Reinach: Kick superbly and scored an absolute blinder. Erasmus said that Reinach is the 'form of his career' right now, and it's hard to argue against that being the case for the 35-year-old. Another standout shift. 7

Forwards

8 Jasper Wiese: Continues to be a real threat at the breakdown and was the go-to ball carrier for the Springboks, and understandably so as he was like a cement truck with faulty brakes each time. Equally effective in defence. 8

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit: The hardest working Springbok yet again. He competed superbly in the lineouts, carried well, tackled even better and saw out the game as captain. Never disappoints in the big matches and today was no different. 8

6 Siya Kolisi (c): The latest Springboks centurion will be pleased that his team ended the game on the right end of the result. However, he was unfortunately unable to play beyond the 40 minutes after De Jager's red card. Kolisi had a solid shift before he was forced off. 6

5 Lood de Jager: Unfortunate to be sent off, there was enough mitigation for the tackle to be at least sent to the Foul Play Review Officer, but Angus Gardner did not see it that way. Before then, he was actually having a fine outing, making good shots on defence and made a clutch lineout steal. However, we can't ignore just how impactful his sending off was. 3

4 Eben Etzebeth: Pressured the French catchers in the air and did well in the lineouts. Made an excellent cover tackle, too, before being replaced earlier in the second half. 6

3 Thomas du Toit: Held his own and some in the scrums where he was able to eke out a penalty or too. Precious few opportunities to attack as France dominated possession while he was on the pitch. However, it was a strong scrummaging and defensive shift. 7

2 Malcolm Marx: Played 77 minutes in an insanely physical and brutal Test match and was, frankly, brilliant. Aggressive in contact, accurate at the set-pieces and a beast at the breakdown. Back to being one of, if not, the best, hookers in the world. 8

1 Boan Venter: Taken off before half-time, possibly a premeditated decision. He struggled to maintain his shape to earn the early penalties at scrum time, but did deservedly earn one that Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted. Around the park, he was solid. 6

Replacements:

Erasmus needed his Bomb Squad to save the Springboks, and boy did they. Ruan Nortje was excellent in replacing Kolisi, running the lineout well, and we are sure he covered every blade of grass.

Gerhard Steenekamp was dominant in the scrums, so was Wilco Louw, while RG Snyman was hugely impactful once he replaced Eben Etzebeth.

The Bomb Squad really exploded and blew France off the park with Andre Esterhuizen proving to be the ultimate hybrid, switching seamlessly between flank and centre throughout his cameo and scored off a maul. His selection on the bench was a masterstroke from Erasmus.

Grant Williams and Manie Libbok added flair and pace to rip open the defence and inspired the late romp. 10