It was an afternoon to forget for several Springboks stars as Australia exposed some major weaknesses in South Africa's much-changed side.
The Wallabies held on for a dramatic 42-38 victory, despite a late Springbok fightback.
RUCK has already published our full Springboks player ratings, with one player receiving a brutal 2/10.
It came after Rassie Erasmus made sweeping changes, with Siya Kolisi stood down and André Esterhuizen handed the captaincy.
We've compared our scores with those handed out by Planet Rugby to highlight five Boks who endured particularly difficult afternoons.
5. Marco van Staden
RUCK: 4/10 | Planet Rugby: 5/10
Rassie Erasmus' decision to use Marco van Staden at number eight did not really work.
The Bulls forward worked hard without the ball and made 10 tackles, but South Africa needed more from him in attack.
He was replaced by Jasper Wiese after 48 minutes as the Boks looked to change things.
RUCK said: “Worked hard defensively with 10 tackles, but conceded two penalties and struggled to make an impact with ball in hand.”
Planet Rugby said: “That experiment did not pay off as Van Staden didn’t impress.”
4. Handre Pollard
RUCK: 4/10 | Planet Rugby: 4/10
A rare start for Pollard did not go according to plan.
His goal-kicking remained reliable, but the experienced fly-half struggled to take control of the contest.
There was one excellent pass to Canan Moodie in the build-up to Edwill van der Merwe's try, but attacking highlights were otherwise limited.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu replaced him early in the second half.
RUCK said: “Reliable from the tee, but struggled to control the game and never really got the Springboks attack moving.”
Planet Rugby said: “Apart from his usual excellent goal-kicking, he had little influence on proceedings.”
3. Zachary Porthen
RUCK: 3/10 | Planet Rugby: 5/10
Porthen had some positive moments, particularly in defence, but it was a difficult outing overall.
The young prop made nine tackles but conceded two penalties before being withdrawn after 48 minutes.
The arrival of Wilco Louw also brought a noticeable improvement to the Springboks scrum.
RUCK said: “Made nine tackles but conceded two penalties, with the Springboks scrum improving after his departure.”
Planet Rugby said: “There was a noticeable improvement in the Boks’ scrum when Wilco Louw replaced him.”
2. Herschel Jantjies
RUCK: 3/10 | Planet Rugby: 4/10
Jantjies was handed a rare opportunity to start but failed to make the most of it.
South Africa struggled for rhythm at scrum-half, while Jantjies was caught in possession and made some questionable decisions.
Erasmus had seen enough by the 48th minute, sending Morne van den Berg into the action.
Jantjies' selection had been one of the major changes after Erasmus made 13 alterations and named André Esterhuizen as his new captain.
RUCK said: “Struggled to give the Springboks any real tempo and failed to make the most of a rare starting opportunity.”
Planet Rugby said: “Jantjies was caught in possession on a few occasions, and his decision making was poor.”
1. Aphelele Fassi
RUCK: 2/10 | Planet Rugby: 4/10
The toughest afternoon belonged to Aphelele Fassi.
There were flashes of his attacking ability, but several costly errors overshadowed the positives.
Fassi lost possession three times and endured a particularly difficult afternoon under the high ball.
One mistake proved hugely costly as Len Ikitau gathered a loose ball and went on to score.
The full-back also missed both of the tackles he attempted.
RUCK said: “A nightmare afternoon. Lost possession three times and was beaten in the air for Ikitau’s try.”
Planet Rugby said: “Not a game the 28-year-old will remember fondly as his negatives outweighed his positives.”
For Fassi in particular, it was a performance he will want to quickly put behind him.
