Key events
“Ever backwards under Borthwick,” says Andrew Thomas.
“I guess when you have only one world class player ie Smith he can only play with what he has with the rest journey men only I’m afraid. Southern Hemisphere gap is as wide as it ever was kind regards.”
Well, the gap right now is only two points. And England have every reason to believe that they could win this.
Marcus Smith is having a blinder. Yet again. What a player he is.
David Hilmy (a Scot, as far as I can tell) says that the Quins 10 is the key to England’s chances of a win:
If England are to be successful, it will be dependent upon Marcus Smith, he needs to stay in the game- of course everyone likes to blame the coaches when their team loses (or in Scotland’s case this morning, win yet still have detractors who behave like England football supporters!) but for England’s sake I hope Borthwick doesn’t go with what appears to be a pre-meditated sub policy for the fly-half around the 60-70 minute mark instead of making that and other subs based upon what is actually happening on the pitch.
Half-time: England 17-19 South Africa
Etzebeth drops the ball and seconds later van Poortvliet kicks it into the stands to bring the half to a close.
A proper arm wrestle peppered by moments of brilliance. I’ve enjoyed that. Both sides well in this.
40th min: Libbok has the distance but drifts it wide. Still, they’ll have the line-out after a clearing kick from England finds touch.
38th min: Snyman wins the line-out and Libbok then dinks a kick over the onrushing defence. Freeman wins it but Wiese is in quick to make the steal. Libbok will attempt a shot at goal from the halfway.
37th min: Another scrum penalty for South Africa. Libbok clears and Sa will have the throw 10 m inside their own half.
36th min: More kick tennis but this time Steward takes it clean and charges ahead. It’s a great counter. he toes a grubber forward and gives Freeman something to chase. He almost gets there but Libbok is covering. Freeman times his run perfectly but spills itn under pressure. Good gain for England though. South Africa have to scrum without the Ox five metres from their own line.
34th min: A bit of kick tennis ends with Kolbe launching a bomb over half-way. England win the line-out and van Poortvliet boxes. This time it lands for South Africa and Mbonambi takes it into contact before Fassi hoists one high that Steward claims.
33rd min: Smith is some player. Once again he’s running everything and England look dangerous when they have the ball. There are some big hits but England’s centres now have go forward ball. Earl carrying well. Lawrence kicks but it’s too long. England will at least get the goal line drop out back at them. Nche is limping off. he doesn’t look in good shape.
32nd min: Williams snipes and finds space through the forwards clustered for the line-out. He has support on his inside but can’t get the off-load away. England swarm the breakdown and come up with the steal from Underhill after a bit hit from Freeman. Fassi drops a high ball but rather than a scrum it’s an England line-out on half-way.
30th min: South Africa win the scrum penalty. In other news, water is wet. Libbok hoofs it clear of half-way.
29th min: England’s attack looks good. Smith keeps finding Underhill against the grain. But Lawrence is drilled by the much smaller Arendse on SA’s 22 and spills in contact. Scrum to the Boks. Both teams take a breather. They deserve it. This has been breathless.
28th min: Van Poortvliet is charged down again by Etzebeth. The big lock is giving him nightmares at the base of the ruck. But Smith launches a counter and England are away. A deep kick finds space but dribbles over the line and Fassie dots down.
TRY! England 17-19 South Africa (Underhill, 26)
England fire back! Outstanding from the home side. Itoje claimed the line-out and they kept running hard at the line. Eventually South Africa’s wall was breached with a brilliant blind charge from Underhill against the grain. He rode three tacklers to force the ball down and get his team back in the contest. Smith’s extras reduce the deficit. What a game this has been!
24th min: Etzebeth wins the ball in the air and now the Boks can mount an attack. Libbok fires it flat and Kriel takes the contact. But England’s defence is well organised and they win a penalty on the ground. Fassi with an illegal clear. Or Wiese. Or both. Either way, Slade kicks to the corner and England have the line-out inside SA’s 22.
TRY! England 10-19 South Africa (Kolbe, 22)
Another belter! The Boks are purring! After the maul failed to gain ground, they chanced their arm with a cross-field kick. Libbok was pinpoint and found Kolbe who gathered, rounded the Steward who came cantering across, and dotted down. Libbok converts and suddenly there’s daylight.
21st min: SA win the line-out and keep it narrow. Snyman, again, finds a half gap. They almost knock-on but keep it. Another penalty is conceded by an Englishman, Stuart on the floor. So Lobbok will nudge to the corner for a driving maul.
19th min: Snyman charges through a half gap after the restart and makes a lot of ground. Then Kolisi. Then Williams. They’re flooding through. Wiese takes it into contact. They have the penalty advantage so Libbok attempts a cross-field kick that can’t find a man. Rather than point to the poles they’ll set up a line-out in the corner.
TRY! England 10-12 South Africa (du Toit, 17)
Two consecutive charge downs and South Africa hit the front! First the towering Etzebeth charged down van Poortvliet’s box kick. Then after Smith cleaned up, du Toit charged his kick down before diving on the ball over the line. Libbok hits the posts, but that is a gimme for the Boks.
Penalty! England 10-7 South Africa (Smith, 16)
Smith makes no mistake with a slight angle to the left of the sticks. England back in front.
15th min: Steward makes amends for earlier with a strong counter run from deep. He beats the first tackle and gives his team go forward ball. A strong counter ruck from the Boks looks to have won the ball back but du Toit infringes illegally on the deck, so Smith will get a shot at the poles between the 22 and half-way.
13th min: England get the ball back after the restart and a clever kick in behind finds open ground in the corner. Mbonambi will have to throw five out from his own line.
TRY! England 7-7 South Africa (Williams, 12)
Stunner! That is sublime from Williams. The scrum-half picked the ball up after receiving a short pass, found a half-gap and then screamed into England’s territory. Then, with a wriggle of his hips and the lightning quick step, he rounded the last defender and slid under the poles. Libbok kicks the extras and we’re all square. Steward was caught out there.
10th min: SA steal the line-out but can’t set set themselves. Libbok attempts a cross-field kick with his weaker left foot and it actually goes sideways rather than forward. England knock on so the Boks’ have the scrum on their 22. Another kick upfield isn’t monstrous but they win the penalty after Steward took a player out off the ball. Libbok hoofs it into touch for Springboks throw.
8th min: Again England’s scrum works and Earl runs at Libbok. Van Poortvliet kicks high and England win it back after a bobble. Smith rakes a kick into Bok territory and another skewed kick from Kolbe means England win the territory battle. They’re winning everything at the minute.
6th min: SA win a scrappy restart but Williams knock-on at the base of the ruck. England have the scrum feed in their own half.
TRY! England 7-0 South Africa (Sleightholme, 4)
What a start for England! They kept hammering the line until Smith shifted the point of attack down the short side. He beat two defenders before popping to Slade who then popped for his winger in waiting. Smith kicks the extras and England are off to a flyer!
4th min: The scrum holds and Smith cross-kicks and finds an edge. That forces Kolbe fields but his kick skews off his boot so England have the throw inside SA’s 22. They win it before Kolisi unfurls a monster tackle. SA’s defence is immense but England still have it inside the 22….
2nd min: Kolbe knocks on on half-way after van Poortvliet box kicks. I think this is a sign of things to come. But how will England’s scrum hold?
1st min: Smith kicks off and du Toit gathers. Swing Low rings out and Steward takes his first high kick of the night. England set up inside their half after van Poortvliet fumbles backwards.
The anthems are done. They’re stripping the banners and flags off the park. The players are getting into position after one final huddle. We’re almost there.
My word, I’m buzzing for this! Should be a belter!
Habana and Lawes are both backing England!
I’m staggered. There’s every chance I’ll have to eat my words but I think South Africa win this by a full length.
We’ll find out shortly.
Just as they did last night, TNT tee us up with a Theodore Roosevelt speech:
It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
There are fireworks, there are lasers, a house version of Seal’s Kiss From a Rose is belting around the ground!
They’ve spared no expense tonight! Twickenham is rocking!
Courtney Lawes, Bryan Habana and Ugo Monye – just the 250 Test caps between them – are chewing the fat over England’s rush defence.
Australia found too many holes in the midfield last week and the edge too frequently. They have to be tighter today.
Aphelele Fassi is fielding a lot of high balls in the warm-up.
His battle with Freddie Steward for control of the skies could be decisive.
Ugo Monye is backing England’s full-back to come good and argues that his inclusion improve’s the team’s attack and defence.
South Africa team
It’s no Bomb Squad, as Erasmus has selected a bench with the standard five forwards and three backs, but it’s still a 23 that can go nuclear.
Siya Kolisi returns to skipper the side alongside a glut of superstar names who were rested for the win over Scotland.
Cheslin Kolbe on the wing, Pieter-Steph du Toit in the back row, Manie Libbok running the show at 10.
It’s an impressive cohort and England will need to be at their best to beat these Bokke.
South Africa: Fassi; Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende, Arendse; Libbok, Williams; Nche, Mbonambi, W Louw, Etzebeth, Snyman, Kolisi (capt), Du Toit, Wiese.
Replacements: Marx, Steenekamp, Koch, E Louw, Smith, Reinach, Pollard, Am.
England team
Four changes from the side that lost in the dying seconds a week ago.
Freddie Steward returns from the cold to marshal the backfield, perhaps a sign of England’s intent to kick the leather off the ball.
Entrusted with those box-kicking duties will be Jack van Poortvliet as Ben Spencer drops out of the 23 entirely.
Sam Underhill comes in for for Tom Curry, who is recovering from a concussion. Northampton’s try-machine Ollie Sleightholme wins his first start.
England: Steward; Freeman, Lawrence, Slade, Sleightholme; M Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George (capt), Stuart, Itoje, Martin, Cunningham-South, Underhill, Earl.
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Baxter, Cole, Isiekwe, Dombrandt, Randall, Ford, Roebuck.
South Africa have been on the charm offensive this Autumn.
Rassie Erasmus told Gerard Meager that his “Springboks aren’t the bad guys” of world rugby.
But, before their comofrtable win over Scotland, Michael Aylwin wasn’t buying it.
But who needs a strategy to win hearts and minds when you have the most likable prop in your ranks. I said back in October that Ox Nche should at least get a look in for World Rugby’s player of the year award. Gerard agrees with me.
“Good luck South Africa!”
Says Ruth Edwards, proudly of Welsh stock. Guess the anybody-but-England mantra still resonates.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
All signs point to a blowout by the Boks. The double World Cup champions saunter into south-west London having claimed the Rugby Championship earlier in the year and a week after spanking Scotland by 17 points without leaving second gear.
England, by contrast, have developed a knack of losing tight games with six of their last eight fixtures going the way of the opposition. Steve Borthwick says he’s not under pressure, but he unquestionably is. A drubbing, as most expect, will compound matters.
But funny things happen when these teams meet each other. At the World Cup last year, England played a near perfect game and almost pulled off an almighty upset. Four years earlier, South Africa defied the bookies to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
The point is that form goes out the window and the ‘favourites’ tag can weigh heavy in these titanic encounters rich with history and dripping with narrative.
Ignore conventional wisdom, throw logic out this window. This is a Test between two proud nations at one of the sport’s grandest arenas. Epic is a word used often. It’s appropriate here.
Kick-off at 5:40pm.
Teams and more updates to follow.
