The Springboks came back down to earth in a 21-6 loss to Australia with an agonisingly error-ridden display that ended their unbeaten run in this year's Tri-Nations.

The Boks started by running everything at the Wallabies, but they couldn't convert any of that adventure into points. Once that tactic faltered, it was back to the conservative approach, which again yielded nothing. They seemed to sway between the two game plans without ever finding the happy medium of last week in Perth. The South African public will hope its just a glitch on their way to Tri-Nations glory, but they will need to improve dramatically to beat the All Blacks in Hamilton next weekend.

Tim Human rates the Springbok players.....

15 Ruan Pienaar:
Stood too upright in the tackle and got isolated too often. Didn't do much to indicate he is the answer at No.15. 5/10

14 Odwa Ndungane:
Was a good stand-in for Pietersen with solid defence and good positional play.His lack of pace means he will never be a feature at the highest level. 6/10

13 Jaque Fourie:
His combination with de Villiers was electric in the opening quarter, but his influence waned as the Boks went into their shell in the second half.6.5/10

12 Jean de Villiers:
He ripped the Wallaby defence to shreds in the opening exchanges, but got limited opportunities as Australia tightened their grip on the game. How will the Boks cope without his creative force? 7/10

11 Bryan Habana:
Was the best player on the park in the opening half hour and his try-saving cover tackle on Turner demonstrated that he is so much more than just a deadly finisher. Went off for what looked like a blood-bin before halftime and never returned. Bok fans will hope its not too serious. 7.5/10

10 Morne Steyn:
The team lacked direction for the most part, but Steyn applied his disciplines well. He attacked the line and moved the ball well and his kicking was accurate. 6.5/10

9 Fourie du Preez:
Did some good things, but was responsible to an extent for the Boks playing too much rugby in the first half. His decision-making was not nearly as good as in previous weeks. 5/10

8 Pierre Spies:
Strong off the back of the scrum and carried several defenders with him when he had the ball. Big on defence too. 7/10

7 Juan Smith:
A solid lineout option, but made little impact besides a characteristically high tackle-count. 5/10

6 Heinrich Brussow:
Threatening on defence and at the breakdown, but the other teams seem to have found ways to negate the little scavenger's impact. 6.5/10

5 Victor Matfield:
The Bok lineout were solid, but he would have expected to cause the opposition jumpers more problems. 5/10

4 Bakkies Botha:
Strangely inconspicuous around the fringes, Bakkies seemed to go easy on the Aussies. He will need to be back to his destructive best in Hamilton next weekend. 5/10

3 John Smit:
Did well in the loose and his scrumming technique improved from last week. There weren?t noticeable huddles that have characterised his captaincy.6/10

2 Bismarck du Plessis:
His set-piece play was precise, but very little explosive play in the loose.6/10

1 Tendai Mtawarira:
Was put under plenty of pressure at the scrums, and got penalised a few times. The front-row has become a problem area in the past fortnight.5/10

Replacements:

16 Chiliboy Ralepelle:
Not enough time to be rated

17 Jannie du Plessis:
Not enough time to be rated

18 Danie Rossouw: (On for Botha on 58 minutes)
Messed up his first lineout and made little impact in the bashing and bruising department. 5/10

19 Schalk Burger:
See the second part of above.5/10

20 Ricky Januarie:
Not enough time to be rated

21 Adrian Jacobs (On for Habana near the end of halftime):
His most noticeable contribution was the suicidal pass that almost gifted the Wallabies a try. 4/10

22 Frans Steyn: (On for Pienaar on 67 minutes)
As an impact player he certainly made an impact - unfortunately it wasn't a very good one. 4/10

What do you think? Do you agree? Let us know...