England vs South Africa LIVE: Rugby result, final score and reaction from 2021 Autumn Nations Series
Eddie Jones’ side got some revenge against the world champion Springboks
England welcomed South Africa to Twickenham on Saturday afternoon in a mouthwatering rematch of the World Cup final two years on.
Fly-half Marcus Smith landed a last-minute penalty to snatch a 27-26 win as the hosts looked full of early promise but were hauled back by the battling Springboks in the teams’ first meeting since the 2019 showpiece.
England fashioned excellent early tries for Manu Tuilagi and Freddie Steward but were penalised relentlessly and four penalties for Handre Pollard kept South Africa within five points at the break.
The Springboks edged clear in the second half and, after tries by Raffie Quirke for England and Makazole Mapimpi for the Springboks, a Fran Steyne penalty put the visitors two points ahead with six minutes to go. England, though, mustered one final attack and earned a penalty on the 22 that Smith smashed over.
With star youngsters like Smith, Steward and Quirke breaking through across a fruitful autumn, Jones admitted the quest for the 2023 World Cup title hurtles ever closer. Asked if this autumn series represents a new England era, coach Eddie Jones replied: “Yes, we said in the summer that the Lions tour draws a line in the sand, and that you need to regenerate and have a little bit of a rebirth to go to the World Cup.
“There’s some good players coming through but we’ve got some pretty good experienced players too. They feel comfortable within themselves, they want to be together, they want to work together. Our stated aim is to win the World Cup, so we want to be better in the next campaign.”
South Africa to kick off
Handre Pollard has the ball, having a chin-wag with referee Andrew Brace, who checks his whistle, his notepad, and his watch, and we are just about ready to go.
Anthems
The South African players stand proudly for their national anthem, Eben Etzebeth and Lood de Jager towering over the rest of the line. Plenty of timber in that second row. Siya Kolisi looks to the heavens as he sings the final notes.
Laura Wright has stayed out on the Twickenham turf and delivers “God Save the Queen” with her now familiar sweet soprano, which is barely audible over the meatier crooning of 82,000 spectators.
England are out next
Perhaps more so than for the Tonga and Australia games, Twickenham is properly up for this one, the rumble of excitement beginning even before the large frame of Courtney Lawes leads his side out of the tunnel.
About half of the England squad take a knee as a “Rugby against Racism” message is read out by the stadium announcer.
South Africa emerge
South Africa emerge first, plenty of stern faces as they break into a jog on exiting the Twickenham tunnel. Siya Kolisi hops left and right in excitement, slapping the backs of his front rowers. The South African skipper looks ready.
Pre-match festivities
The familiar warbling of Laura Wright is our pre-match entertainment this week, joined by the National Youth Choir in celebrating the 150th anniversary of the RFU with a rendition of “Jerusalem” as the players ready themselves in the changing rooms.
One to watch - Marcus Smith
Welcome to the Marcus Smith show. If there were times last week where it felt like England’s princely fly-half talent was still bedding in to a side still moulded in the image of their ten-cum-twelve, Owen Farrell’s absence means Smith will be primary ring-master for certain for a significant encounter with significant opposition.
Smith should relish a centre partnership somewhat resembling the one alongside which Smith has thrived at Harlequins, with a direct tone-setting 12 and a multi-faceted, classy 13.
Of course, the man most often at 13 for Harlequins outside Smith is on the wing for England today, but Joe Marchant is good friends with the fly-half and the pair will retain a certain chemistry even with Marchant out wide.
There is no understating the measure of the task at hand. This suffocating Springbok defence has caused many an attack to come a cropper, but has tendered to be challenged most by tens with a degree of creativity and the confidence to try things. Smith is short of neither, and his silken skills should cause South Africa issues, particularly if England are able to gain front foot ball.
We are expecting England to again be reasonably flexible with formations and structures in attack - what do Eddie Jones, attack coach Martin Gleeson and Smith have up their sleeves?
One to watch - Kwagga Smith
Australia, by hook or more often than not by crook, managed to stall England by spoiling and slowing breakdown ball last week. Whiile South Africa will be keen to avoid being similarly pinged, if they are able to legally prevent England finding flow then they may just come out on top. Kwagga Smith will be a key part of that. He lends a very different skillset to the back row than the injured Pieter-Steph du Toit, shorter in stature but more dynamic in open space, but with Siya Kolisi, perhaps in career best form, whatever the World Rugby Awards do and do not say, and Duane Vermeulen there is plenty of ability over the ball in the back row trio.
There will be plenty of kicking in the contest but accuracy in phase play will be vital with both sides likely to attack as jackalers, so in both attack and defence the ruck-work of the forwards will be under the spotlight. Ireland’s Andrew Brace is this week’s whistle-carrier, if you were wondering, supported by compatriot Brian MacNeice in the TMO truck.
One to watch – Jamie Blamire
Jamie Blamire has made something of a habit of romping for the Twickenham line in his nascent international career, but this will represent a much, much sterner test against perhaps the deepest, most feared front row unit in the rugby world. The Newcastle hooker has six international tries already but set-piece solidity will be the order of the day if England are to counter South Africa’s forward might. Blamire, second-choice at club level, has looked a little shaky with his darts and has developing to do as a scrummager, too.
This will be a significant challenge for Blamire and a similarly inexperienced Bevan Rodd alongside him. Both Eddie Jones and Richard Cockerill, who know a thing or two about front row confrontation, were confident that they would rise to the challenge, but South Africa may see a potential weakpoint. Having so unsettled England with their set-piece dominance during the 2019 Rugby World Cup final, the Springboks will be out to do so again, with six front-rowers ready to make an impact with trademark might.
England do have Joe Marler on the bench to counter the “Bomb Squad”, out of isolation on Thursday night shorn of his tastebuds after contracting Covid-19, and readied for this contest with sprints in a disused chicken run and a number of bottles of a South African pinotage/malbec blend.
One to watch – Cobus Reinach
There has been plenty of, possibly undue, focus on how South Africa have gone about assembling an outstanding Test match rugby side and the tactics favoured by the Springboks, but this is a magnificently talented squad. Iti s testament to their depth that even with Faf de Klerk an autumnal absentee they can call upon a player with the ability of Cobus Reinach.
Sharp as a knife off a whetstone, Reinach may not offer the same accuracy with the boot, defensive menace or close-to-the-ruck wind-up-ery of de Klerk, but he’s a sniping threat with a habit of plucking intercepts. He and Handre Pollard will have plenty of kicking to do, of course, but if South Africa are invited into an up-tempo contest then Reinach can certainly quickstep with the best of them.
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