Springboks crush England
LONDON - A brilliant all-round performance from the Springboks gave them the perfect end to their international season as they powered their way to a superb 27-13 (half-time 14-3) win over England at Twickenham last night.
The Springboks made nonsense of the United Kingdom perceptions of them being a boring team as they mixed it up in fine style win over England that confirmed their right to be considered red hot contenders for next year’s Rugby World Cup.
The Boks scored two tries to one but that doesn’t tell the full story of a game that might have seen England buried by 20 or 30 points had it not been for another of those red cards, this time shown to reserve prop Thomas du Toit just after he came onto the field. That meant it was 14 against 15 for the Boks in the last 20 minutes, but unlike against the All Blacks at the same venue a week before, England didn’t have the energy for a comeback.
At the final hooter it was in fact the Boks who had the opportunity to add further to their 14 point advantage as they were awarded a penalty in a kickable position. But on a day of surprises, or at least they were surprises to people who never watched the last two Bok games, they actually decided to kick for the corner in a quest to maybe score one more try. It didn’t pay off as replacement flyhalf Manie Libbok kicked it too long into touch in goal, but it didn’t matter - the Boks were comprehensive victors, and deservedly so.
It was the Boks first win at the ground since 2014, and was built on a monster performance from their forwards who absolutely dominated the English pack from start to finish, while some unpredictable play also contributed in the hosts looking clueless for most of the game.
The Boks were also made to work hard for the win in the final quarter after replacement prop Thomas du Toit received a deserved red card for a shoulder to the head of England replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie.
It was a cagey opening to the match from both sides and both had a chance to take an early need, with Bok scrumhalf Faf de Klerk missing a shot from an angle, before England captain Owen Farrell surprisingly missed one from in front.