RATINGS: Who fired and who flopped for Boks!

The All Blacks staged a stunning comeback to beat the Boks in a pulsating Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday night.

AS IT HAPPENED | WATCH SPRINGBOKS V ALL BLACKS

Just a week after South Africa dominated New Zealand from start to finish in the opening clash, this was a game where the visitors ultimately emerged as most-deserved victors.

Below we dish out some player ratings for the Boks

Lukhanyo (9/10)

There can no longer be any doubt that Lukhanyo Am is currently the leading player in world rugby.

This was another performance of immense class, with Am having to shift out to the wing after an early injury to Jesse Kriel. And yet he didn’t skip a beat.

Almost every time Am touched the ball, he produced something special, and ultimately deserved so much for his efforts.

According to Sanzaar’s stats, the Springbok superstar made a remarkable 144m, sevens carries, beat five defenders, made four clean breaks and of course scored a superb try.

Damian Willemse (7/10)

Time and time again, Willemse emerges as a standout performer for the Boks. This was not the game where everything went his way, or that of the Springboks, but he still produced a herculean effort.

Willemse made six carries, beat three defenders, set up a classy try with an incredible pass and also completed the most tackles of any Springboks (14).

Makazole Mapimpi (7/10)

It’s been a while since Mapimpi has made headlines, but this was a game where he finally was able to enjoy some time and space on the ball.

In total, he completed 118m and made seven carries, to go with two clean breaks in addition to his well-finished try.

Jasper Wiese (7/10)

What an effort this was from Wiese, who came off the bench and produced an absolutely heroic performance.

He managed to complete 50m and seven carries, while also adding some much-needed physicality to the Bok effort.

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Joseph Dweba (3/10)

There is no doubt about the ability that Dweba possesses, but after such limited game-time before this Test, it was clear that he struggled to step up to the level required.

A couple of poor throw-ins at the lineout early on unfortunately served as a microcosm of some of the troubles to come for the Boks, and the hooker was ultimately replaced around the half-an-hour mark.

Duane Vermeulen (3/10)

It’s not often that Vermeulen doesn’t feature among the Boks’ top performers, but he battled to make his usual impact after returning from injury.

Similarly to Dweba, it’s clear that Vermeulen was just short of high-intensity game-time, and the decision to also replace him just before half-time spoke volumes.