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.
