South Africa v England – player ratings: Who bloomed in second Test in Bloemfontein?

South Africa

15. Willie le Roux
Did well under the high ball barrage and distributed cleverly. Showed some beautiful touches. 7/10

14. S'busiso Nkosi
Looked good with the ball in hand but should have stopped May scoring England’s second try. 7/10

13. Lukhanyo Am
Defensively suspect and prone to jumping in, he was responsible for England’s first try. In attack he and Slade cancelled each other out. 6/10

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 12. Damian de Allende
Didn ot have the legs to complete an early breakaway try. He ran hard and fast, and although he lost the ball in contact a couple of times he invariably made ground. 7/10

11. Aphiwe Dyantyi
Was targeted by England’s crossfield kicks but did well. In attack, he struggled to make ground despite his pace and dancing feet. 6/10

10. Handre Pollard
Kicked beautifully for goal and carried with directness and aggression. His decision-making was exemplary and kept the Boks moving forwards. 8/10

9. Faf de Klerk
Played with huge aggression and really got under England’s skin. Yet another impressively hyperactive performance from the little scrum-half. 8/10

1. Tendai Mtawarira
Winning his hundredth the Springbok tighthead set up South Africa’s first try with a lovey break and was conspicuous in the loose. 8/10

2. Bongi Mbonambi
Lineout throwing was once again absolutely spot on and he was energetic in the loose, making one superb break. 7/10

3. Frans Malherbe
Penalised against Vunipola at scrum under England’s posts, but was a mighty presence at South Africa;’s lineout drives in particular. 6/10

4. RG Snyman
Another forceful performance from the big lock. He carried the ball superbly, hit rucks hard, was the Boks’ go-to lineout man and tackled like a demon. 8/10

5. Franco Mostert
The Gloucester-bound lock carried well, put in a big shift in the close-quarter exchanges and stopped Shields scoring a debut try. 8/10

6. Siya Kolisi (captain)
The Springboks skipper put in an inspirational performance, winning a couple of turnovers and enjoying a feisty duel with Brad Shields. 8/10

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit
The gargantuan openside hit the rucks hard and imposed himself in the Boks’ tight-knit drives. Revelled in the rough stuff. 7/10

8. Duane Vermeulen
His great feet for his try were only a small part of his contribution. Absolutely outstanding at the breakdown. A class act and South Africa’s best player. 9/10

Replacements: 18. Thomas du Toit(on for Myawir 43, 6); 17. Steven Kitshoff (on for Malherbe 43, 7); 16. Akker van der Merwe (on for Mbonambi 51, 6); 20. Jean-Luc du Preez (for Snyman, 55, 6); 22. Jesse Kriel (on for Am 60, 7); 19. Sikumbuzo Notshe (on for Kolisi, 66, 6); 21. Ivan van Zyl (for de Klerk 75, 6).

England

15. Elliot Daly
The fullback had his moments and was good under the high ball but struggled to really break into the game. Generally defensively solid except for giving away a five-metre scrum. 6/10

14. Jonny May
Took the first two tries superbly and was a constant threat as he came off his wing looking for work. One of England’s most polished performers. 8/10

13. Henry Slade
He looked good on the few occasions he got the ball in attack but tackled outstandingly to cancel out De Allende and Am. 7/10

12. Owen Farrell (captain)
Great tap tackle on De Allende. Arguably kicked too often and but should definitely have gone for three points rather than a try just before half-time. 7/10

11. Mike Brown
Great hands for both the first two tries. Positionally and defensively excellent, he impressed in all phases, consistently made ground and even won a turnover. 8/10

10. George Ford
Was targeted defensively by the Boks but stood up well enough. Struggled to impose himself, left most decision-making to Farrell and will surely be replaced by Cipriani. 5/10

9. Ben Youngs
Kept England moving at tempo but was prone to poor decisions, such as throwing a speculative pass after his break soon after the break. 6/10

1. Mako Vunipola
Performed well at scrum time but gave away stupid penalty on Du Toit and was lucky not to get a yellow card. A significantly under-par performance. 5/10

2. Jamie George
With an overthrow, knock-on, loose pass and missed tackle, this wasn’t one of the usually consistent Saracens hookers finest games. 6/10

3. Kyle Sinckler
The British Lions was far too anonymous. Carried well when asked and scrummaged decently, but never managed to really work his way into the game. 6/10

4. Joe Launchbury
Looked rusty after missing last week’s game. Tackled his heart out but the lack of front-foot ball meant that his trademark carries were few and far between. 7/10

5. Maro Itoje
Missed tackle on Vermeulen for a try, and although he tackled well he struggled against the physicality of the South African forwards. 6/10

6. Brad Shields
Fluffed his big moment when he should have scored a debut try. Tackled manfully around the fringes but failed to impose himself upon the game. 6/10

7. Tom Curry
Played with an intelligence beyond his years. Was a real nuisance around the fringes as South Africa’s forwards got their drive going. 7/10

8. Billy Vunipola
Look pumped up. His footwork set up the first try and he made ground every time he got the ball before injury forced him to be taken off. 8/10

Replacements: 20. Nathan Hughes (on for Billy Vuniplo, 40mins, 5); 18. Harry Williams (on for Sinckler 51, 5); 17. Joe Marler (on for Mako Vunipola 57, 6); 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (on for George 61, 7); 22. Danny Cipriani (for Ford 66, 8); 19. Mark Wilson (on for Shields 66, 6); 23. Denny Solomona (on for Brown 66, 6).