A resounding 58-10 victory for SA was what everybody expected and wanted to see, revenge for the 53-3 loss to England in 2002 and a promising start to 2007 Test season building towards the World Cup in September in France.

Everything is still not a 100% in the SA camp but enough signs were there to show that Jake Whites’ resting of top players last season during the Currie Cup and the end of year tour might not have been such a bad idea. As a unit SA wasn’t entirely World-class on Saturday but considering that Jake White only had about a week with the squad the interplay between backs and forwards and counter-attacking when England kicked badly was top notch. Hard work is in order this week on SA’s set phases building up to the 2nd test. Much was expected of the macro pack Jake picked, but SA struggled in the scrums and John Smit were not as accurate with his line out throws as we know he can be. Individual players like Schalk Burger, Juan Smith, Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery and Jean de Villiers were outstanding but as a unit things were not cohesive. Individual player ratings after the jump..
SARB decided to rate the individual performances by the SA players from Saturday:

15. Percy Montgomery: 9/10

He was absolutely superb! Kicked 10 out of 10 at goal and were creative on the counter-attack. One of his best performances this year.

14. Ashwin Willemse: 7/10

Solid in his comeback test. Scored a good try and had a couple of good runs. Lacks match fitness but did enough to show why Jake has shown so much faith in him.

13. Wynand Olivier: 6/10

Mr. consistent in the Bok back line. His defence was rock solid and he handled well. Made a couple of good breaks.

12. Jean de Villiers: 8/10

Scored probably his best try in the Bok jersey ever and made Willemse’s try with a great delayed pass.

11. Bryan Habana: 9/10

Showed again that there is no substitute for pace. Scored two tries with his raw pace and tackled well. Practised hard at his kicking game and it showed in the match. Faultless test.

10. Butch James: 7/10

Had a great test. Did not do anything spectacular but also did not put a foot wrong. Defended his channel like a demon and got his outside backs away nicely. Solid touch finders under pressure.

9. Ricky Januarie: 3/10

Not a good test at all! His service was slow and merely acted as a link. Showed nothing of the form that made him a Bok in the first place and promising phases broke down because of his slowness and lack of vision.

8. Danie Rossouw: 7/10

A little rusty at eighth man but still hammered the English with his power and tackling. Could have done more with the ball in hand. Had a good, strong test.

7. Juan Smith: 8/10

Had a great game with strong runs and even stronger defence. Showed good soft handling for a big man on a couple of occasions. Another fantastic test for the Free State flanker.

6. Schalk Burger: 8/10

Welcome back Schalk! Gave everything the whole afternoon and was rewarded with a well-deserved try. Typically good in the loose and strong carrying of the ball marked his come back to the test arena!

5. Victor Matfield: 7/10

Good game. Played a bit loose at stages but another good test for this world-class player. Combined well with Bakkies Botha and proved why they are considered the best lock combination in the world.

4. Bakkies Botha: 7/10

A typical Bakkies-Test. Took England on upfront and was prominent in the tight exchanges. Another player that made a welcome return to the Bok team after a long-term injury.

3. BJ Botha: 6/10

Had a solid test. Strong in the scrums and prominent in the tight exchanges, continued his good Super 14 form.

2. John Smit: 5/10

Made a couple of mistakes on defence and had two shocking throws into the line out. Not his best test for the Boks.

1. Deon Carstens: 6/10

Carried his good Super 14 form into the test arena and scrummed well. Had a solid game.

Replacements:

CJ van der Linde: 6/10

Had a solid time on the field. Strong in the scrums and used to good effect as a ball carrier. Scored the last try.

Johann Muller: 4/10

Did not have a big impact.

Guthro Steenkamp: 6/10

Strong in the scrums and used to good effect as a ball carrier.

Pierre Spies: 7/10

Made a good impression with his powerful runs and good vision.

Francois Steyn: 7/10

Played at centre, wing and flyhalf and was solid in all three positions. Scored a good try and had a great line break.

Ruan Pienaar: 8/10

Wasted on the wing, but showed what a great game breaker he can be. Should have started the game instead of Januarie. Combinations that have proven themselves should play (James / Pienaar - both Sharks). Fantastic player, had a good test.

Gary Botha: played only 8 minutes and got no opportunities.

SARB Man of the match: Percy Montgomery

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