Springbok v England player ratings: Who stood out – and who FLOPPED

A much-improved second half performance from the world champion Springboks was ultimately not enough to clinch victory on Saturday, with England snatching the win in the dying seconds.

Below, we dish out some player ratings:

AS IT HAPPENED | SPRINGBOKS V ENGLAND: SCORES, COMMENTARY

DAMIAN DE ALLENDE (8)

For the majority of this year, De Allende has been the Springboks’ unsung hero, and he saved arguably his best performance of the season for Saturday.

The dynamic centre was far and away the Boks’ best player, making metres with ball in hand almost every time he took the ball to the line.

As is so often the case, De Allende also made an impact at the breakdown, demonstrating yet again how he has evolved into one of the most multi-talented centres in the game.

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EBEN ETZEBETH (8)

It’s fair to say that World Rugby got things horribly wrong in omitting the big man from their nominations for World Player of the Year.

Etzebeth was a clear standout performer once again on Saturday, disrupting England at the lineouts, physically dominating opponents on defence and also making several powerful ball carries.

He will lament the moment he broke through the England line late in the game and opted to pass instead of just backing himself to keep powering towards the tryline, but take nothing away from another monumental 80-minute effort.

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TREVOR NYAKANE (5)

It’s not often that the versatile prop produces a forgettable performance, but on Saturday he battled to replicate the consistent form that has seen him emerge as a first-choice front rower for the Boks this year.

England surprisingly got the upper hand at the scrum early on, while Nyakane also got in the way of one pass in the first half when the Springboks were looking to exit.

This performance will by no means define the season for the Springboks or Nyakane, but there is no doubt that it was one of those unfortunate ‘off days’ at Twickenham.

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WILLIE LE ROUX (4)

Too often Le Roux is made out to be the scapegoat when the Boks misfire, but there is no doubt that he has been lacking his usual confidence and swagger this season.

He will lament one poor pass that went to ground when the Springboks had an overlap in the first half, while there was another occasion where he again went up to collect a high kick, only for it to bounce awkwardly off his shoulder.

Le Roux will remain a key member of this Bok team going forward, but he does need to rediscover his mojo before the 2022 Test season rolls around.

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