Scotland v South Africa player ratings

Scotland suffered their first loss of the World Cup as South Africa ran out 34-16 winners at St James Park.

The Springboks' shock defeat to Japan on the opening day of Pool B meant that the Scots could take control of then group with a win, but they were overpowered by a far superior South African pack. Here's how we rated the players on both sides of the ball...

Scotland

15. Stuart Hogg - 5

Found it hard to get involved in any real way due to South Africa's dominance. His dive after kicking the ball away was an embarrassment.

14. Tommy Seymour - 6

Poor centre play meant he had little opportunity to get involved in any offensive play. Took a poor support line after Weir's interception that almost butchered the move.

13. Richie Vernon - 4

Looked exactly like a forward trying to play centre. Nowhere near creative enough to be playing outside centre at this level.

12. Matt Scott - 5

Scotland will never beat a tier-one nation with this centre partnership.

11. Tim Visser - 7

Once again he did not feature in attack due to a lack of supply but did well when called upon. Kept the ball alive for the try when Seymour did his best to kill it.

10. Duncan Weir - 7

He was always going to struggle as his forwards could not give him front-foot ball but did well with what he had. An absolutely fantastic interception early in the second half got Scotland back in the game.

9. Greig Laidlaw - 6.5

His consistency means it's very easy to take Laidlaw for granted, but Scotland need his influence. He can't afford to give away stupid yellow cards again.

8. David Denton - 5

Often seemed totally unaware of his surroundings. Needs to listen when the referee gives him a direct instruction.

7. Blair Cowan - 5

Needed more presence at the breakdown but was too often anonymous.

6. Josh Strauss - 4

Don't be surprised to see him dropped next week against Samoa based on today's performance.

5. Jonny Gray - 5

Still a very young player. He will learn a lot from this game and the experience will stand to him in four years time. Not enough today.

4. Richie Gray - 6.5

The bright spark in a poor performance by the pack.

3. Willem Nel - 5

Scotland needed a big performance from their forwards and couldn't get it.

2. Fraser Brown - 4

A day to forget. Totally outplayed by his South African counterpart.

1. Gordon Reid - 5

Not a great day for the Scottish front-row.

South Africa

15. Willie le Roux - 7

Was never really challenged by a lackluster Scottish attack.

14. JP Pietersen - 7

Finished his try nicely in the first half and caused trouble for Scotland throughout.

13. Jesse Kriel - 6

Was exposed defensively at times again today. Still has a lot to learn about playing centre at the highest level.

12. Damian de Allende - 6

The focus on forward play meant the Springbok centres had very little to do.

11. Bryan Habana - 8

Clearly not the unstoppable force he was in 2007 but was a nuisance for the Scottish defence. Showed his experience with a brilliantly finished try.

10. Handre Pollard - 8

The first half of the game was one of the easiest armchair rides an international flyhalf will ever get. Played with confidence in the second.

9. Fourie du Preez - 7

Not his best game in a South African jersey by any means, but still a solid performance.

8. Duane Vermeulen - 5

He will be disappointed with his performance. In a game in which the Springbok pack dominated, he was notably poor.

7. Schalk Burger - 6

A typical performance from the Richie McCaw wannabe. Straddled the line between legal and illegal, causing trouble for both the opposition and his teammates.

6. Francois Louw - 7

One of the reasons the Scottish back-row looked so poor.

5. Lood de Jager - 8.5

Possibly the most underrated player in this South African squad.

4. Eben Etzebeth - 7

Forming a dangerous partnership in the second row. Nowhere near the level of Victor Matfield/Bakkies Botha yet, but getting there.

3. Jannie du Plessis - 6.5

Played in the shadow of his younger brother, but dominated the Scottish scrum with ease. Still, his yellow card was totally avoidable and - despite what ITV commentators seemed to think - was the right call by Owens.

2. Bismarck du Plessis - 8

One of South Africa's most dynamic players. Rare to see a front-row player so involved in the loose.

1. Tendai Mtawarira - 8

Destroyed a pedestrian Scottish scrum and looked fitter than ever.