England down Boks at Newlands
JUNE MATCH REPORT: England wrapped up their disastrous June Test Series with an impressive 25-10 win over the Springboks at Newlands in Cape Town.
The result finally ended England’s five-Test match losing streak.
At cold and wet Newlands, England won the third Test and thoroughly deserved to win.
Much of England’s success was thanks to their forwards who outplayed South Africa. They won the turnovers, protected their ball better and increasingly dominated the scrums, winning three penalties at scrums. In the last scrum of the match, it was South Africa’s ball and England destroyed them and delighted in doing so. The forwards and some cunning kicking ensured that England had important territorial advantage.
The visitors’ cause was greatly advanced by the penalty count. The Springboks were penalised 14 times to the six of England. 14! That’s huge. Because of the territorial advantage England was able to kick seven of those at goal. Of the seven Owen Farrell goaled six and Elliot Daly missed one.
South Africa kicked at goal only twice. Elton Jantjies goaled one and missed one.
Newlands was again packed but it was a miserable evening for Springbok supporters. It may well be the last Test played at the great ground, which gives its story of 128 years a sad ending. Perhaps the weather was also just weeping and feeling miserable at the prospect of demise.
On the wet field, England handled far better than the Springboks did. Their wings still had chances to run with the ball while the Springbok wings were left idle. Three times England scored from Springboks knock-ons, twice with penalty goals, once with a try.
The weather could hardly have taken the Springboks by surprise as they had been warned of it long before.
England also kicked much better than South Africa did. Just look at the box kicks and wonder what profit they give. Of eight of them one may possibly have had some value; the others were detrimental to the cause.
And in the end you scratch your head in wonderment, trying to find out what this was all about, what could possibly be “learnt” from it all and in fear that his was a return to the bad days of the recent past.
Before kick-off, after the vigorous entry of the impi and the singing of the anthems. Siya Kolisi, the South Africa captain, presented Owen Farrell, the England captain with a neat gift of a shield and weapons of tribal origin.
Then South Africa kicked off and there was enthusiastic play for three minutes, when the first stoppage occurred – a line-out, at which Maro Itoje was penalised for playing Franco Mostert in the air. The penalty attempt was missed. But when Chiliboy Ralepelle was penalised at a tackle, Farrell goaled. 3-0 after 9 minutes. Just before half-time it was another penalty against Ralepelle, following a simple knock-on by Jantjies, that gave England a 6-0 lead before Jantjies goaled one on the stroke of half-time.
The highlights of the half were probably a tackle by little Faf de Klerk on big Nathan Hughes when he drove the big man back, and the South African attack, set in motion by Jesse Kriel, when Jonny May saved for England.
England got the scoring going early in the second half. When De Klerk went offside, Farrell made it 9-3 after 43 minutes.
Then came the Springboks’ alleluia moment, a moment of great promise.
Kriel broke, Steven Kitshoff and Mostert drove ahead and Gelant, going left, left-footed a grubber into England’s in-goal where Kriel easily won the race for the ball and scored. Jantjies converted from far out, and South Africa had the lead. 10-9 after 47 minutes.
The Springboks did not score again.
Two minutes later Gelant went around a tackle to go in at the side, and Farrell got England its lead back at 12-10. Then De Klerk went offside and it was 15-10 after 57 minutes. Both of these penalties were really childish.
Ben Youngs hoisted a boxkick. Gelant, playing on the right wing with Willie le Roux at fullback, knocked on. Mark Wilson, following up, grabbed the ball and gave it to young Tom Curry who have it to Danny Cipriani who was under pressure from Pieter-Steph du Toit and André Esterhuizen but kicked diagonally across the field. It was a perfect kick that rolled into South Africa’s in-goal as May raced after it. He kept on racing after it as it headed for touch-in-goal;. He dived on it for a wonderful try. Farrell converted from touch and with 7 minutes to play, England led 22-10, just time for Mostert to be penalised and Farrell kick his sixth penalty goal.
England’s 15-point margin of victory was the biggest in the three Tests after the Sprinboks had won 42-39 and 23-12.
Man of the Match: Jonny May who was great in England’s cause on defence and in attack, a wonderful player. There were other candidates, all Englishmen – Owen Farrell with his goal kicking and Tom Curry, Joe Launchbury and Jamie George in the pack – and others.
Villain of the Match: Nobody. It was a decent match.
Moment of the Match: Danny Cipriani’s kick and Jonny May’s try.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Try: Kriel
Con: Jantjies
Pen: Jantjies
For England:
Try: May
Con: Farrell
Pens: Farrell 6
Teams
South Africa: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Sibusiso Nkosi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Jean-Luc du Preez, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Willie le Roux
England: 15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jonny May, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (captain), 11 Mike Brown, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Chris Robshaw, 5 Maro Itoje, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Mark Wilson, 21 Sam Simmonds, 22 Ben Spencer, 23 Denny Solomona.
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
