Duel of titans between England and South Africa. A classic bringing together two relatively distant dynamics between the English looking for a victory since last June against Japan and the South Africans who are celebrating their world champion title by having recently won the last Rugby Championship hands down. Was this chasm going to translate into Twickenham meadow? To tell the truth, the English showed breathtaking energy from the start. Sleightholme took advantage of an inspiration from Smith off wide to conclude a great action and explode Twickenham (7-0, 6th). The South African surge was not long in coming, Williams eliminated three defenders and dived between the posts after a sharp and technical race (7-7, 11th).
While Smith gave his team a three-point lead following a ground fault from du Toit (10-7, 16th), the Springboks were smart. Two successive counterattacks from Etzebeth and du Toit sent the latter to the promised land, thus displaying constant vigor near the rucks (10-12, 18th). The World Champions demonstrated a certain ease in the running game, with promising attitudes in duels. Kolbe will be offered an ideal foot service by Libbock to hook the last defender and head to the promised land (10-19, 22nd). What a breathtaking start! The XV de la Rose could have faded. Nay, the English forwards got back to work, and after a series of rapid rucks, Underhill dove into the in-goal area, freeing himself from three defenders on the edge (17-19, 27th). Everything was restarted in this duel, where some wanderings in the running game and an abusive use of the kicking game in the last minutes of the first act, will garnish this first lively act.
PA Images / Icon Sport – Mike Egerton
Generous England, sprawling South Africa
The second act will be much more tense. Sanctions rained down from both sides. If Arendse and Slade were each refused a try after a video referee, the initiatives did not budge. Smith and Pollard responded to each other in turn to turn the score and always grant a suspense (20-22, 60th). The last minutes will see an English takeover, without genius however. The South Africans punished this lack of success, De Allende playing against the opposing defense to send the inevitable Kolbe into orbit (20-29, 65th). Nothing more will be recorded, despite a colossal but sterile burst of energy from the British.
Courageous but defeated. These seemed to be the first qualifiers that emerged from the English performance against the Springboks. Heckled in a few sectors, Steve Borthwick's men logically gave in despite an immense desire to reverse the course of things. A fifth consecutive defeat which indicates a certain tension among the XV de la Rose too, lacking any real results since the last World Cup. There will be one last duel against Japan next week, to try to finish on a better note.
Massive. The term undeniably corresponds to behaviors in line with the eternal arguments of the South Africans who recited their scales when the game and the rhythm dictated it. The troops of Rassie Erasmus weaved a web where the English were caught in the pincers, such was the precision. An unprecedented continuity for the World Champions, always as efficient when the opportunity presents itself, always faithful to their reputation when the demands allow no respite. Last test run of the European tour in Wales, before a well-deserved break.
