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Stuart Lancaster, England’s head coach, admitted his side had thrown away victory over South Africa by conceding too many easy points.
He said: “We gave points away that they didn’t have to work hard to earn. We have to learn and develop as a group leading into the World Cup and we have ten games to go in which to narrow down [our options].”
England were up against it by half-time, when they trailed 13-6 following Danny Care’s intercepted pass which gifted South Africa their first try.
Lancaster, who now the same win ratio as his predecessor, Martin Johnson – 56 per cent – plans changes for the game against Samoa next weekend.
Show all 32 1 /32England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Mike Brown - 6 Threatened in the first half with a couple of probing runs and was as reliable as ever in the air, but faded after the break.
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England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Anthony Watson - 6 A difficult first start saw the Springboks target him with high kicks, but he coped well and looked a danger with the ball in hand, albeit on very few occasions.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Brad Barritt - 7 His late try was in vain as England had left it too late, but his decision to come into the maul for Wilson and Morgan’s score was beneficial. A strong day’s work.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Kyle Eastmond - 6 Made a couple of break as he utilised his strength and footwork to jink past Jean de Villers, but still yet to show his best in the red rose.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Jonny May - 6 Nearly had a second try in as many weeks, but made the right decision to feed Barritt for the score. Didn’t finish a chance in the first half, and saw a limited amount of ball all day.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Owen Farrell - 5 Departed in the 64th minute with injury but this was possibly his worst showing in an England game. His kicking at goal was solid but he failed to spark anything through the hands. Could be dropped for Samoa game.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Danny Care – 5 Looked flat on his 50th appearance and is another who could lose his shirt. First-half pass was anticipated by Jan Serfontein to score the opening try, and left at the same time as Farrell.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Joe Marler – 6 Put in a big shift in defence but didn’t carry the ball as much as he would have liked. Matched the Springboks in terms of physicality though.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Dylan Hartley – 4 Yellow card for stamping on Duane Vermaelen cost England dear, and again showed his ill-discipline at the worst time when England were on the up. Needs to have a long hard think about his attitude.
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England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings David Wilson – 6 Scored the try that he’s deserved for his performances of late, but his defence and lack of pace is a worry against the best teams in the world.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Dave Attwood – 6 Not as prominent as he was last week and struggled in the lineout. Ran well at times.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Courtney Lawes – 6 Will be happy to have seen more than 20 minutes this week and his thunderous early tackle on J P Pietersen announced his arrival. Gave a few sloppy penalties away though.
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England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Tom Wood – 8 Had to go off to accommodate Hartley’s yellow which robbed England of a lot of their carrying power. Have a strong day with the ball in hand as well as tackling, as we’ve come to expect.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Chris Robshaw – 7 Tackled his heart out early on and tried to give England impetus going forward towards the end of the match. Will be disappointed with another defeat.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Billy Vunipola – 5 Had a few powerful carries in the first-half but still not at his destructive best. Hauled off immediately after the break and Morgan showed him up to state his claim for the No 8 shirt.
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England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Replacements: Rob Webber – Late throw found only Vermaelen when England were on the attack. 5 Matt Mullan – Earned one turnover but little else to shout about. 5 Kieran Brookes – Didn’t have much time to make his impact felt. 5 George Kruis – Carried well and is adapting to international rugby very nicely. 6 B Morgan – Sparked England into life and deserves to start next week. Finished his try very well. 8 Ben Youngs – Could have got the ball away from the breakdown quicker. 6 George Ford – Kicked straight into touch that allowed Lambie to land match-winning drop-goal. 5
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Willie le Roux – 7 Nearly capped off the win with a try at the death but knocked the ball on. Not as involved as he would have liked, but showed his class in setting up the second try to shock England.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings JP Pietersen – 6 Struggled to get into the game even when he came searching for the ball.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Jan Serfontein – 8 Telegraphed Danny Care’s pass to snipe in and intercept the ball to go under the posts, but his defence was outstanding for the full 80 minutes.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Bryan Habana – 6 Nearly set up a chance in the opening few minutes only to pass the ball to no-one, and looked eager to go up against Watson.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Bryan Habana – 6 Nearly set up a chance in the opening few minutes only to pass the ball to no-one, and looked eager to go up against Watson.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Pat Lambie – 6 His kicking was a bit irrational and was charged down on more than one occasion, but he was able to spark the back-line into life when necessary.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Cobus Reinach – 7 Supported Le Roux well to dive over for the second try that stretched the Springboks’ lead, and was heavily involved in all of their attacks.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Tendai Mtawarira – 6 The Beast had a bit of a quiet one, but enjoyed his battle with Wilson as the scrum advantage differed between the two sides all game.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Adriaan Strauss – 7 Dead-accurate with his lineouts as he found a green jersey on each of his 13 attempts. A bit anonymous elsewhere.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Jannie du Plessis – 6 Hobbled off after picking up a leg injury in the 64th minute, but put in a good shift in defence.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Eben Etzebeth – 7 Extremely talented in the air which gave England a few problems in the lineout. Carries well and his defence is fearsome. 7
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Victor Matfield – 7 Yellow card left the Springboks horribly exposed as England scored twice in three minutes to level the scores. His return lifted the side and was a key reason in why they prevailed, though.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Marcell Coetzee – 6 Outshone by his flank-partner Burger, but just kept on tackling to stop England in their tracks.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Schalk Burger – 9 Rolled back the years with a brilliant performance, and scored a try that he fully deserved. Tormented England at the breakdown.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Duane Vermeulen – 7 On the receiving end of a nasty stamp from Hartley and tackled well throughout the game. Will have wanted to contribute more in terms of making gains.
England 28 South Africa 31 player ratings Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis – Picked up where Strauss left off in the lineout. 6 Trevor Nyakane – Brought on late to replace Mtawarira. 5 Coenie Oosthuizen – Put in a good cameo after replacing Du Plessis. 6 Bakkies Botha – Immediately won a penalty in the lineout when he came on. 6 Teboho Mohoje – Came on to allow Burger a standing ovation as he left. 5
He said: “When we got back to 20-all we felt we were creating problems and I thought all our replacements made an impact. We are bringing on a lot of guys, starting guys who have fewer than five caps. We will stick to what we believe is the right thing to do, we won’t lose our nerve.
“We have never said we are the finished article, we knew when we took the job on that we had to take a young group of players through some tough environments. We won’t sit here feeling sorry for ourselves. I have to select a side to win the next match but also looking at the 31-man squad that will go to the World Cup.
Care, playing his 50th international, acknowledged a lack of discipline. “Perhaps it’s because we were trying too hard because we so badly wanted to win, especially at Twickenham,” the scrum-half said.
Care believes England may have been trying too hard to win at home “I know people will write us off now but I know the self-belief there is in this side and that we will come back strong.”
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