Planet Rugby's ratings from Durban hand out eights to four Springboks, with the two debutants generating the most excitement. Vusi Moyo gets an 8 with the caveat that he was handed an ideal environment — dominant pack, Reinach alongside him — but the reviewer's point is that he still had to execute, and he did: bold decision-making, three conversions, a try assist, and solid defence. Jaco Williams matches him on 8 after a dream debut, winning the key aerial duel that led to a first-half try, scoring himself, and assisting Jantjies. Cobus Wiese earns an 8 for what the reviewer calls his best international performance, building on the momentum cut short against Scotland. Carlu Sadie gets an 8 on debut purely on scrummaging destruction — he dismantled Rhys Carré and the reviewer describes it as a bloodbath at the set-piece.
Elsewhere, Marx and Steenekamp are both rated 8 as part of a front row that offered Wales nothing. Paul de Villiers takes man of the match despite four first-half turnovers — a rating the reviewer reconciles by pointing to his overall workload and first Test try. Fassi's handling errors drag him to a 5, the lowest rating in the run-on side, while Reinach and PSDT are solid rather than spectacular. The bench gets a collective 6 — functional rather than game-changing — with Willemse and Jantjies the standouts among the replacements.