ABs Players Of The Week (Spingboks Test Three)

The ABs will officially leave South Africa 2-1 down in the series and will require a win in the Baltimore Test to have a chance of sharing the spoils of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour.

As we have done throughout the whole season, we are looking at the best performers in the black jersey from each game. After some thinking, the five from Johannesburg are ready to go.

1 Point – Asafo Aumua

Asafo Aumua once again made his presence felt around the park this weekend, showing why so many wanted him to become the outright starting hooker from now on.

He was dominant in the collisions and proved to be one of the only All Blacks able to match the Springboks in that area. The lineout was also cleaned up, as the All Blacks won over 90% of their throws, which was an improvement on Test two.

2 Points – Will Jordan

The only back to make the list this weekend is, of course, Will Jordan. The All Blacks’ all-time leading Test try-scorer was certainly one of, if not the most, opportunistic players for the away side.

Once again, comfortably leading the game in metres gained and defenders beaten, Jordan proved to be a nightmare for the Springboks to handle all night. He made a couple of decisive breaks, including one from his own 22 and another down the sideline, which set up Leroy Carter for his try.

Jordan was not perfect on the evening, however, with a couple of costly turnovers. Those were more about a lack of execution than making the wrong decisions. Regardless, it was a fairly good showing from the right wing.

3 Points – Wallace Sititi

What a comeback from Wallace Sititi. He was seemingly on the outside looking in from the match-day 23, but when given his chance this week, he looked a lot more like the 2024 version of himself, which this side desperately needs.

He wreaked havoc when given the ball in hand, making line break after line break and shrugging off South African defenders at will. A huge bonus to his game was also the work he put in at the breakdown, winning a couple of big turnovers on his way to his best performance for the All Blacks in a long time.

4 Points – Peter Lakai

Lakai was finally rewarded with a start after all the work he has put in off the bench this season, and it paid off for Dave Rennie from the jump. He was solid in the collisions, certainly holding his own when getting the ball in the tramlines.

The other big surprise Lakai offered was being one of the primary lineout options, which is a massive feather in his cap going forward. There were concerns that he would not be able to offer much in that facet, like Simon Parker.

Finally, he also showed just how good he can be around the breakdown, effectively cleaning out at ruck time and winning a massive turnover penalty with his side under pressure.

5 Points – Ardie Savea

It may have been short-lived because of the injury he suffered from a Malcolm Marx cleanout, but prior to that moment, he was the best player on the park by a long way.

He was dominant with ball in hand, scored the first two tries for his side and was effectively the heart and soul of the team in the first half.

The injury is, of course, a massive blow for the All Blacks heading to Baltimore, but the silver lining is that we might see more of the Sititi and Lakai combination, which, in my mind, has been the future of New Zealand rugby for a while.

Leaderboard After Five Tests:

1st Will Jordan 17
2nd Ardie Savea 13
3rd Cam Roigard 10
4th Asafo Aumua 7
5th Leroy Carter 5
5th Ruben Love 5
5th Jordie Barrett 5
5th Quinn Tupaea 5
5th Peter Lakai 5
10th Josh Moorby 4
11th Fabian Holland 3
11th Damian Mckenzie 3
11th Wallace Sititi 3
14th Tupou Vaa’i 2
14th George Bower 2
15th Anton Segner 1