JOHANNESBURG – The Springboks delivered a commanding 45-21 victory over England at Ellis Park on Saturday (4 July) in their Nations Championship fixture, a match that featured an explosive opening, a brief English resurgence, and then a second-half blitz that put the result firmly beyond doubt.

The Boks were without captain Siya Kolisi and lock Eben Etzebeth through pre-match injuries, yet any concerns about their squad depth were quickly put to rest.

Replacement forward Paul de Villiers turned in an outstanding shift, while Cameron Hanekom brought his trademark physicality throughout.

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Early scores

South Africa wasted no time asserting themselves. An early penalty gave them field position, and they made full use of it through an attacking lineout.

When the ball reached Thomas du Toit off the back of a ruck, he bulldozed his way over from short range to give the hosts a 5-0 lead inside two minutes.

The advantage doubled almost immediately. Ox Nche powered through midfield, and the ball found Cheslin Kolbe on the right wing, where he skipped past his opposite number to make it 12-0 inside five minutes.

A third try arrived in the 12th minute as Kurt-Lee Arendse proved too powerful for Marcus Smith, forcing his way into the left corner to stretch the lead to 17-0.

England gradually worked their way into the contest, though they were denied what appeared to be a try through captain Jamie George, who collected the ball in an offside position following scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet’s touch.

The Boks were also reduced momentarily when Arendse was shown a yellow card for a knock-down – a decision that appeared particularly severe.

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Roses fight back

The visitors finally found the scoreboard on 35 minutes, executing a quick tap penalty before Ellis Genge muscled over for a converted try, bringing the score to 17-7.

A second try arrived right on the stroke of half-time, George Martin breaking through a Jasper Wiese tackle to score, with the conversion reducing the gap to just three points at 17-14.

The Springboks, however, emerged from the break with renewed intent. Two early England penalties handed them field position, and they made England pay after sustained pressure at the line, with Grant Williams darting over from close range. The conversion pushed the lead out to 24-14.

No holding back

South Africa continued to dominate, and in the 55th minute a powerful rolling maul set the platform for Jesse Kriel to finish wide, making it 31-14 after the conversion.

England refused to fold and hit back through Alex Coles, who drove over from close range in the 69th minute. Fin Smith’s conversion trimmed the deficit to 10 points at 31-21, and for a moment, the door appeared slightly ajar.

It slammed shut almost immediately.

Tommy Freeman was sin-binned in the 70th minute for a shoulder-to-head hit on Damian Willemse, and moments later Guy Pepper joined him in the bin for a cynical early tackle. England’s discipline had completely unravelled, and with 13 men on the field they were unable to cope.

South Africa took full advantage, with Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon both crossing the whitewash in the closing stages to seal a thoroughly merited 45-21 triumph.

Source: KickOff.com

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