With 11 carries, 68 metres run, 6 defenders beaten, a turnover, and 4 lineouts won, Tank Lanning rates Duane Vermeulen highest against the USA with a score of 9 out 10. Check out his full Bok ratings.
Tank Lanning
From a bulldog eating porridge to a butterfly landing on a petal …
As they say in the cliché classics, last night’s Bok game against the USA was indeed a game of two halves … Thankfully, because if the Boks had continued with what we saw in the first half, we would all be reaching for the Prozac!
Sure the USA were wilting – as is to be expected from a side with limited squad depth focussing on their game against Japan on the weekend in order to try and come third in the pool and automatically qualify for the Japan showpiece – But the Boks really did turn it on in the second half.
I thought the Boks were guilty of just churning it out to the backs in the first half, and without much creativity on attack, it did not work. It might not be pretty, but if going route one, as is obviously the Bok plan, then they need to go all out route one. It’s only after the opposition have been battered into submission, that the gaps will appear.
But after the massive South African pack, powered by their best scrumming performance in the tournament to date, had done the business, it was open season for the boys out back. 561 metres run from 119 carries made for great viewing.
With his three tries to equal the World Cup try scoring record of 15 tries by All Black legend Jonah Lomu, Bryan Habana duly stole the show. His key stats of 9 carries, 56 metres run, and 1 turnover are also impressive.
Official Man of the Match, Damien de Allende, also notched up some impressive stats: 8 carries, 50 metres run, 3 clean breaks, 8 defenders beaten, 5 passes. That line he ran to score his try was straight out the top draw. A deserved MOTM.
I would also have Frans Malherbe, Fourie du preez and Francois Louw joining the above two players as contenders for the MOTM, but the 11 carries, 68 metres run, 6 defenders beaten, single turnover, and 4 lineouts won by returning Thor type 8th man, Duane Vermeulen, provided the base for the likes of Habana to weave his magic. He is as such, my official MOTM!
How I rated the Boks against the USA:
Willie le Roux – 6.5
Lwazi Mvovo – 6.5
Jesse Kriel – 7
Damian De Allende – 8.5
Bryan Habana – 8.5
Handré Pollard – 8
Fourie du Preez – 8.5
Duane Vermeulen – 9
Schalk Burger – 7
Francois Louw – 8.5
Lood de Jager – 7.5
Eben Etzebeth – 7.5
Frans Malherbe – 8.5
Bismarck du Plessis – 7
Tendai Mtawarira – 8
Bench:
Schalk Brits – 8
Trevor Nyakane – 7.5
Coenie Oosthuizen – 6
Pieter-Steph du Toit – 6.5
Willem Alberts – 7.5
Rudy Paige- 8
Morne Steyn – 7
Jan Serfontein – 7
Coach:
Heyneke Meyer – 7
Referee:
Pascal Gauzere – 7
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French refs are a nightmare – lets hope we dont get one in the QF