1-1

The Springboks have levelled Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series with a hard-fought 33-26 victory over the All Blacks in Cape Town.

South Africa made the perfect start through an early Jesse Kriel try before a breathless opening half developed, with Damian de Allende and Siya Kolisi also crossing as the hosts established an advantage.

The reigning world champions then began to impose themselves physically after the break, taking control of the gain line and building their lead, although Ardie Savea’s late converted try ensured a tense finish at DHL Stadium.

The Boks ultimately held firm to avenge last weekend’s 33-16 defeat in Johannesburg and leave the four-Test series finely poised at 1-1.

Here are our full player ratings from Cape Town…

SPRINGBOKS RATINGS

1. Gerhard Steenekamp – 6

A late promotion into the starting XV and a relatively quiet afternoon from Steenekamp. He held his own during the opening exchanges without having the destructive influence South Africa would later get from Ox Nche.

2. Deon Fourie – 6

Thrown into the starting side at hooker following the late reshuffle and handled the assignment impressively. Fourie was reliable at the lineout and busy with ball in hand, although a missed tackle on Ardie Savea contributed to the move that ended with Damian McKenzie scoring.

3. Thomas du Toit – 8

The standout member of the starting front row. Du Toit combined a strong scrummaging performance with his usual physicality around the field, finishing with 13 tackles and four carries. Unlike Steenekamp and Fourie, he remained on after the early front-row change and continued until the 56th minute.

4. Eben Etzebeth – 9

Outstanding. Etzebeth was a constant nuisance to New Zealand, disrupting their lineout and repeatedly putting himself into positions that affected the All Blacks’ possession. His work following restarts was particularly effective and helped South Africa maintain pressure at crucial moments.

5. Ruan Nortje – 7

An understated but highly productive performance. Nortje got through plenty of defensive work, was dependable at the lineout and chased relentlessly. Exactly the sort of contribution that allows the more explosive members of the Bok pack to flourish.

6. Siya Kolisi (C) – 8

Led from the front before departing shortly after half-time. Kolisi carried strongly in the build-up to South Africa’s opening try and then produced an excellent line to score one himself late in the first half. A strong return from injury.

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit – 8

Another enormous workload from the centurion. Du Toit finished with a team-high 14 tackles, carried six times and continually made life uncomfortable for Cam Roigard around the breakdown.

8. Jasper Wiese – 5

A difficult evening for the number eight. New Zealand clearly understood the threat posed by Wiese’s carrying and largely prevented him from generating the momentum South Africa normally get from him. An early handling error didn’t help his cause.

9. Cobus Reinach – 6

Mixed. Reinach wasn’t always as clean around the breakdown as he would have wanted, but his kicking game caused New Zealand problems and his running threat was important in the construction of South Africa’s tries.

10. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu – 7

Responded well after a turbulent build-up to the Test. His kicking helped South Africa escape pressure on several occasions, and he showed plenty of composure. Moved to fullback after Damian Willemse’s injury and looked comfortable there once Manie Libbok took control at ten.

11. Ethan Hooker – 8

Another hugely impressive showing. Hooker was excellent competing in the air, aggressive defensively and repeatedly came off his wing looking for involvement. His ability to contribute in midfield as well as out wide gives Rassie Erasmus a fascinating selection problem.

12. Damian de Allende – 7

Recovered superbly from a difficult opening period. De Allende was beaten during the build-up to Cam Roigard’s try but responded by powering through three defenders for South Africa’s second. His workload was immense, finishing with 18 tackles and ten carries.

13. Jesse Kriel – 8

Couldn’t have asked for a better start, cutting through to score inside two minutes. Defensively it wasn’t one of Kriel’s cleaner performances, with Will Jordan escaping him during the move for New Zealand’s opening try, but he still completed a huge 18 tackles.

14. Cheslin Kolbe – 9

Superb. Kolbe was everywhere, competing brilliantly in the air and producing one of the game’s key momentum shifts when his chase forced Leroy Carter back towards his own line. He was also flawless from the tee and ensured South Africa kept the scoreboard moving.

15. Damian Willemse – 5

Positionally sound when New Zealand kicked into the backfield, but his own kicking from hand lacked its usual accuracy and invited pressure back onto the Boks. His afternoon was then cut short by injury late in the first half.

Replacements:

16. Malcolm Marx – 8

Made an immediate difference after being introduced in the first half. South Africa’s scrum became increasingly dominant and Marx added serious physicality both at the breakdown and with ball in hand.

17. Ox Nche – 8

Didn’t take long to make his presence felt. Nche’s first scrum produced exactly the impact South Africa wanted, putting the All Blacks under enormous pressure and earning a penalty.

18. Wilco Louw – 7

Helped ensure there was no drop-off when Thomas du Toit departed. Strong in the scrum and carried powerfully into traffic as South Africa increasingly asserted themselves physically.

19. Lood de Jager – 4

A costly outing. De Jager had some positive involvement, but his yellow card for a high tackle on Leroy Carter left South Africa under unnecessary pressure during a crucial stage of the contest.

20. Andre Esterhuizen – 6

Replaced Kolisi early in the second half and gave South Africa another powerful carrying option, particularly from lineout possession.

21. Cameron Hanekom – 7

Only had 13 minutes but made them count. Hanekom showed his athleticism with some promising carries before producing a crucial turnover late on as New Zealand chased the game.

22. Morne van den Berg – 7

A composed contribution after replacing Reinach. Van den Berg distributed cleanly and generally kicked well from the base, helping South Africa manage the closing stages.

23. Manie Libbok – 7

Brought clarity to the Bok attack after entering at the beginning of the second half. Libbok allowed the forwards to establish the platform before choosing his moments to attack, while also contributing strongly on defence.

All Blacks Ratings

1. George Bower – 7

Helped New Zealand compete at scrum time, defended tirelessly and produced a clever offload to send Simon Parker through a gap.

2. Codie Taylor – 6

Busy around the field and worked hard to secure possession. Had some early lineout problems, including two first-half overthrows, before things improved.

3. Tyrel Lomax – 5

A difficult outing. Conceded a costly offside penalty and was exposed defensively for Kolisi’s try before being replaced during the first half.

4. Fabian Holland – 8

Another industrious performance. His size and work rate were important in contact, while he recovered well from New Zealand’s early lineout difficulties.

5. Tupou Vaa’i – 6

Worked hard without having a major influence. A knock-on was punished by South Africa before he conceded an unnecessary obstruction penalty after half-time.

6. Simon Parker – 7

Strong in contact and stood up well to South Africa’s physicality. Also showed his carrying threat with an excellent linebreak.

7. Luke Jacobson – 6

A busy performance without a huge impact. Worked hard to get involved but an avoidable second-half penalty counted against him.

8. Ardie Savea – 8

Carried powerfully, worked relentlessly and produced the break that helped create McKenzie’s try before scoring late himself.

9. Cam Roigard – 7

Dangerous from the outset, making an early break before scoring New Zealand’s opening try. His service remained sharp, but the Bok defence largely contained him.

10. Ruben Love – 7

A mixed performance. Made a couple of costly handling errors but defended intelligently and remained accurate from the tee.

11. Leroy Carter – 7

Worked hard and offered plenty in support. Mixed under the high ball but showed serious pace to finish his second-half try.

12. Jordie Barrett – 8

Started slowly before growing into the contest. Almost scored from a charge-down and contributed strongly under the high ball, in defence and at the breakdown.

13. Quinn Tupaea – 9

New Zealand’s standout. His powerful carries consistently generated momentum, while a superb offload released Carter for his second-half try.

14. Will Jordan – 8

Beat defenders repeatedly and finished with a game-high number of tackle busts.

15. Damian McKenzie – 7

Dangerous whenever he found space and finished an excellent first-half try. Tried to inject tempo throughout but was generally well contained by South Africa.

Replacements

16. Asafo Aumua – 7

Made a noticeable impact after coming on in the 48th minute, bringing plenty of physicality and energy to the All Blacks pack.

17. Xavier Numia – 5

Introduced after 53 minutes but struggled to shift the momentum of a forward battle that was increasingly moving South Africa’s way.

18. Fletcher Newell – 5

Entered alongside Aumua in the 48th minute and had a difficult assignment against a powerful Springbok replacement front row.

19. Patrick Tuipulotu – 5

Given the final 18 minutes but wasn’t able to make the kind of impact New Zealand needed as they chased the contest.

20. Peter Lakai – 6

Added fresh energy to the back row after his introduction early in the second half and contributed to New Zealand’s attempt to work their way back into the game.

21. Kyle Preston – 5

Only given the closing stages after replacing Cam Roigard in the 71st minute, leaving him limited opportunity to influence proceedings.

22. Anton Lienert-Brown – 5

Introduced with 13 minutes remaining as New Zealand went searching for a way back into the contest.

23. Josh Moorby – N/A