Scotland v South Africa: player ratings Tim Visser The prolific winger didn't see enough of the ball to think of adding to his impressive international try count. Greig Laidlaw Lacks the all-round kicking game to really stamp his authority on games like these. Suffered again as the South Africans sent their big men his way. Mike Blair Suffered a horror moment when he put Steenkamp's try on a plate. The high rating is for Henry Pyrgos's impressive showing as Blair's try-scoring replacement. Ryan Grant Looks more and more like an extra from Deliverance, but the Glasgow prop is turning into a class act on the pitch as well with huge energy. Ross Ford Carried well in the loose and used his physique to good effect in defence, but his lineout work still comes up short at critical moments. Euan Murray Quickly got the measure of Gurthro Steenkamp in the front row, although this was an assertive rather than dominant display by the pious prop. Richie Gray Went off after 20 minutes following a heavy hit by Francois Louw. Al Kellock took over and put in a decent shift despite conceding one wasteful penalty. Jim Hamillton You feel that all that physique could be used to better effect sometimes, but the big man stayed the course well after Gray's departure. Kelly Brown Leads by example and this was another fine showing by the new Scotland captain. Supplied the lineout ball that brought Pyrgos's try. John Barclay Looked eager to get after coming in as a late replacement. Did most of his best work at close quarters in very trying circumstances. Dave Denton Getting back into the kind of form he showed during the Six Nations this year. Denton has a tendency to get isolated at times, but he keeps a defence busy. South Africa Zane Kirchner The Springbok full-back didn't have a lot to do, and most of his efforts went into mopping up work during Scotland's second-half fightback. JP Pietersen Like Kirchner, the wing was seen rarely with ball in hand, but he still looks a class act when the thing does come his way and he defended beautifully. Juan De Jongh A real star in the making, though this wasn't the game to show it. A couple of darting runs showed why he has been making waves. Jean De Villiers Marshalled his backline as you would expect, with quiet authority throughout. Put in some ferocious and effective tackles at times. Francois Hougaard Again. Hougaard was mostly tied up on defensive duties. Made one significant break but never looked like getting over the line. Pat Lambie Not one of the great Springbok playmakers yet, but growing into the role and kicked steadily from hand and in front of goal. Ruan Pienaar Pure class at the base of the scrum. Pienaar has played better than this, but the Ulster scrum-half made few errors as he shaped his side's game. Gurthro Steenkamp Had his hands full dealing with Euan Murray in the scrum, and the Toulouse prop made too many errors on the ball to earn star billing. Adriaan Strauss Capped an afternoon of quiet excellence on the touchlines with an improbable solo try when he intercepted Blair's rash pass early in the second half. Jannie Du Plessis A typical Springbok tighthead who offers little outside the set-piece, but not to be faulted for that after a strong scrum showing. Eben Etzebeth Put the spring into the Springboks' lineout. The athletic young lock has had a huge year and this was another fine performance. Juandre Kruger Added a lot of grunt to the Springboks' scrum and driving maul and cleaned out the rucks aggressively. Formed an impressive and promising partnership with Etzebeth. Francois Louw Made a thorough nuisance of himself at ruck time and made sure Scotland were never able to build rhythm through the breakdowns. Willem Alberts A bear of a man and the giant flanker used his physique to good effect, whether carrying the ball forward or driving Scots in the other direction. Duane Vermeulen Not one of the most athletic number eights in the world game, but Vermeulen fits in well in the sort of muscular back row the Springboks prefer.