Nick Mallett has delivered a scathing assessment of the Springbok halfbacks following the 33-16 defeat to the All Blacks at Ellis Park Stadium, suggesting Grant Williams and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu were not good enough on the day.
Rassie Erasmus's side dominated possession and territory for much of the opening half but led by just a single point at the interval, failing to convert their dominance into points. The Springboks accumulated 10 entries into the opposition 22 throughout the match but averaged just 0.7 points per entry, whilst New Zealand proved far more clinical with 3.6 points from their nine entries.
Mallett, speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, was particularly critical of the decision-making at halfback. "Grant Williams wasn't at his best; he was a little bit indecisive and slow at the breakdown," Mallett said. "He wasn't sure who he was passing to, and I thought Sacha also didn't have a great game. I would give them sort of four out of ten in terms of their ability to direct the Springboks' play, and I think that was where we lost it."
The former Springbok coach acknowledged that the All Blacks defence deserved credit for their resilience under sustained pressure, but maintained that the visitors capitalised on almost every opportunity that came their way. The defeat leaves Erasmus with selection questions ahead of the next fixture in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, particularly around the halfback combination that struggled to unlock a well-organised New Zealand defensive line.