An absolutely breathless contest at Loftus Versfeld ended in defeat for Scotland as South Africa overcame them to win 42-28 in the second round of the 2026 Nations Championship.
Gregor Townsend’s players ran themselves into the ground in Pretoria in search of victory and pushed the best team in the world to their limits. However, the back-to-back world cup winners showed their class and strength in depth as a much altered side overpowered the Scots in the end.
It was a match where we saw some players at their very best while others really seemed to struggle. Here is how we rated the Scotland stating XV and replacements from their loss to the Boks:
9. Ben White - 8
Never seems to run out of energy and was non-stop from start to finish. Deserved his try and gave Scotland the quick ball they wanted. | Getty Images
10. Finn Russell - 8
Always love a bit of Russell showmanship and he was at it again in Pretoria. One or two errors crept in but an overall top showing from the talisman | SNS Group / SRU
11. Jamie Dobie - 7
Some nice runs and steps throughout that made some significant meters and kept the Boks on their toes. | AFP via Getty Images
12. Sione Tuipulotu - 8
So many carries from start to finish and kept going and going in testing conditions against the most physical side in the world | SNS Group / SRU