SARrugby.com

PLanet Rugby gave the NZ starters an average rating of 7.3. The Boks an average rating of 4.7. Somewhat embarrassing for the men in green, but close to the truth. Check it out: http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_8144251,00.html

In essence I fully agree with the ratings made - but MCCaw was not worth an 8 - he never showed much and was penalized twice and should have been three times.   I think more like a 6 in his case.

hi moz, hope u dont mind but i hate jumping links so i copied the ratings here,,,,

New Zealand made it six wins from six in the inaugural Rugby Championship as they beat South Africa 32-16. Now it's time to rate the in-form All Blacks.

15 Israel Dagg: The way Dagg is able to skip on the outside of a man as soon as receiving the ball is a constant head scratcher. The full-back was critical once again in attack and kicked well out of hand. The only blot on Dagg's copybook has to be his yellow card for a clear ruck offence. 8/10

14 Cory Jane: How to back up that hat-trick? He struggled to make inroads but stuck to his responsibilities against Francois Hougaard. 6/10

13 Conrad Smith: His record-winning percentage in the All Black jersey continues to increase after another excellent yet unflashy showing from the Hurricanes captain. He finished off a slick try for his side from first-phase possession, organised well and was once again a leader in black. 9/10

12 Ma'a Nonu: Was replaced on the hour after another workmanlike performance alongside Smith. Nonu popped up out of nowhere for that dagger through the heart of the Springboks on 40 minutes and 20 seconds and we didn't see him make any mistakes in Soweto. 7/10

11 Hosea Gear: His inclusion ahead of Julian Savea was a masterstroke from coach Steve Hansen. While the young wing has been good of late, against the Boks would have been a tough ask on the road. Gear set up two scores and proved a constant threat to SA. 8/10

10 Daniel Carter: You never what you have until he is gone. Carter's return to the fold these past two weeks has been nothing short of superb. Today he was a magician for his team, choosing the right calls such as the drop-goal in an all-round exceptional performance. 9/10

9 Aaron Smith: His quickness at the base has been brought up on countless occasions since he took over the mantle from Piri Weepu but he was not at his best today, despite being on Kieran Read's shoulder for a 33rd minute try. Replaced on 65 minutes. 7/10

8 Kieran Read: Backed up last week's top day with a man-of-the-match effort. Set up an early second-half try for Nonu although almost came close to butchering that as Cory Jane waited but was not found on his right. It all came good in the end, as did his shift. 9/10

7 Richie McCaw: It was his 100th win and was a grafter in the success. McCaw returned to the contest with a couple of minutes remaining - after being patched up on the sidelines - to see out his impressive milestone. Of course he was New Zealand's top tackler. 8/10

6 Liam Messam: New Zealand's line-busting back-row forward did what was asked once again. Made the most metres out of his pack - which says something when Read ran so well - and did well to keep Willem Alberts and Francois Louw quieter than last week. 7/10

5 Sam Whitelock: Finished his try like a winger. From 20 metres out he went through Johan Goosen and then reached out in the subsequent contact for a vital try 13 minutes after Bryan Habana had opened the scoring. The ever-maturing Whitelock continues to improve. 8/10

4 Brodie Retallick: Replaced before the hour mark by Luke Romano but Retallick is a young lock with a long future ahead of him. The two mentioned players are always going to be rotated due to their similar attributes so Retallick shouldn't be too discouraged. 6/10

3 Owen Franks: A typically dynamic shift from the prop. Athletic and busy for an hour. 6/10

2 Andrew Hore: The first All Black to be replaced in the game following an industrious 50-minute showing. The line-out functioned well while Hore put himself around the park with plenty of gusto before making way for the player making his 99th appearance. 6/10

1 Tony Woodcock: Enjoyed his late personal victory over prop Coenie Oosthuizen at scrum-time and was solid for the full 80 minutes at Soccer City. A decent day at the office. 6/10

Replacements

16 Keven Mealamu: Missed one tackle and rarely featured in open play. 4/10

17 Ben Franks: Did not get much chance to press his claims for a regular starting spot. 5/10

18 Luke Romano: Was a touch banged up from last week's game and subsequently had to make do with a spot on the bench. Was a decent workhorse when utilised by Hansen. 6/10

19 Adam Thomson: Not on long enough to warrant a rating.

20 Piri Weepu: Credit to scrum-half Weepu, who has worked incredibly hard to get some sharpness back in his running game. It showed today as he was swift at the base. 6/10

21 Aaron Cruden: Not on long enough to warrant a rating.

22 Tamati Ellison: Stood his man up well during his main chance after coming on for Nonu in a move that led to an impressive break from outside centre Smith on the wing. 6/10

New Zealand made it six wins from six in the Rugby Championship as they beat South Africa 32-16. Now it's time to rate the Springboks.

15 Zane Kirchner: Who? Hardly featured. Went from hero to zero in the space of a week after making such a big impact against the Wallabies. Hauled off in the 64th minute... why it took that long we'll never know. 4/10

14 Bryan Habana: Made some powerful runs coupled with numerous line breaks, and was rewarded with a try for his efforts. But became less influential as the game wore on. 5/10

13 Jaco Taute: Very busy in the tackle department when he made contact. Found very little space to stretch the legs. 4/10

12 Jean de Villiers (c): Steady if not spectacular but, De Villiers did very well to latch on the ball to put Habana away. Struggled to lift the side during the second-half malaise. 5/10

11 Francois Hougaard: Looked lively in the first half but needed to offer a bit more attacking thrust when the game started falling away from SA in the second half.4/10

10 Johan Goosen: Only lasted a little over 30 minutes before limping off and during that time he missed two early shots at goal and raised the flags with a conversion and penalty. Besides that, nothing much to write home about. 5/10

9 Ruan Pienaar: Oh Ruan, Ruan, Ruan. His rollercoaster ride of performances in the green and gold jersey continued in Soweto. Last week, he was riding high... this week he hit rock-bottom. 3.5/10

8 Duane Vermeulen: South Africa's busiest defender, Vermeulen will feel unfortunate to be on the losing side. 6.5/10

7 Willem Alberts: Made the break that led to Habana's try, and gleefully accepted the challenge of soaking up numerous New Zealand tackles but went missing after the break a wee bit. 6.5/10

6 Francois Louw: Will earn plaudits for work rate but questions will be asked of how NZ came to dominate matters at the breakdown seemingly at will. 5/10

5 Andries Bekker: A mediocre effort by his standards. Made a few mistakes and rarely made a difference at line-out time. 4.5/10

4 Eben Etzebeth: Poached an All Blacks' throw-in at the line-out and took three of his own. But we've seen better from the Bok hardman. Subbed after 59 minutes. 4.5/10

3 Jannie du Plessis: Had his work cut out in a Bok pack which eventually was well beaten by NZ. Got subbed in the 53rd minute by Coenie Oosthuizen, which proved to be pretty costly for the Boks. 4/10

2 Adriaan Strauss: Arguably the most disappointing game in the Bok jersey from Strauss. Effective for the first half hour but then the energy seemed to go from his legs. 4/10

1 Tendai Mtawarira: Crowd barely started the Beaaaast chant before he was shackled by All Blacks defenders. 4/10

Replacements:

16 Tiaan Liebenberg: Came on ridiculously late and didn't change things.

17 Coenie Oosthuizen: Ok, he didn't pull a Dean Greyling but gave away nearly as many penalties. 2/10

18 Flip van der Merwe: Not on long enough to warrant a rating.

19 Marcell Coetzee: Tried to bully tired Kiwi bodies. But needs more time to get into his groove. Not South Africa's answer as a super sub. 4/10

20 Elton Jantjies: Started off superbly when he came on for Goosen, but his confidence only diminished as the game progressed. 5/10

21 Juan de Jongh: Not on long enough to warrant a rating.

22 Pat Lambie: Fairly anonymous, but showed some trademark touches. 4/10

i know we have always disagreed about McCaw, but IMO an 8 is a fair an accurate accounting fo the NZ and world rugby legend.

Springbok starting forward pack - 14 tackles
McCaw - 14 tackles

nuff said IMO, long live the king, :o)