Autumn tour 2024 – England-South Africa notes: Wiese and Etzebeth rule the roost, Steward's nightmare

This Saturday evening, South Africa won at Twickenham against England (29-20). In this part, Jasper Wiese and Eben Etzebeth ruled the roost while opposite, Freddie Steward lived a nightmare. Here are the notes from this shock.

The tops

This man is poison, real. Eben Etzebeth showed against England why he can last for many more years at the top level in the world. No longer as explosive as before, he compensated perfectly with notable intelligence and an unrivaled science of positioning. It's simple: despite his 33 years and his second line position, he was everywhere on the pitch. He was decisive on du Toit's try, countering van Poortvliet behind a ruck. The English scrum-half also went through hell before each kick, with the pressure from Etzebeth. The proof: the most capped Springbok in history again countered the Englishman a few minutes later (29th). Brilliant, he continued to exceed his function by winning an aerial duel with Steward… While maintaining his activity in direct play. His avoidable forward (40th) and his three missed tackles were the black points of his meeting.

What a match from the Springboks number 8! He imposed his physical domination on each impact during this very committed meeting. He notably allowed himself to turn Maro Itoje on a tackle, while constantly being clean in defense. He continued to advance with the ball in hand, putting numerous defenders on the buttocks (five broken tackles). He was also valuable in the rucks, including a scratch (39^e).

What a warrior. But what a warrior. Against the powerful Springboks pack, Sam Underhill did more than compete. We will obviously note his strong attempt in the 26th minute which revived his team, but we must especially highlight his ferocity in defense. As usual, the Bath player stirred some meat. 11 out of 13 in tackling and a few attacking ones which pleased the Twickenham crowd. Of course, England lost but Underhill has nothing to be ashamed of. Really nothing.

The flops

He will remain as one of the great men of this clash, but not necessarily for good reasons. When we talk about his performance, two fatal actions for the English rear immediately come to mind. In the first act, Steward was mystified twice by Grant Williams and Cheslin Kolbe. Two devastating blows suffered, which will undoubtedly make the rounds on social networks… He was also at fault in the sector. For the rest, number fifteen alternated between hot and cold under the high balloons. Not really at the expected level.

Jack Van Poortvliet: 3/10

The scrum-half had a very difficult match on the Twickenham pitch. He is guilty on the second South African since his kick was blocked by Eden Etzebeth. Often under pressure, he stacked imprecise kicks and failed to advance his own. In the 53rd minute, Van Poortvliet made another mistake by missing a clearance, which caused an English forward, fortunately without consequences for the XV de la Rose. We cannot say that the Leicester man scored points against the Boks. In defense, his 1 out of 3 tackling doesn't make us forget his stupidities. The South African hinge clearly missed the start of the match. Libbok's passivity on a hazardous pass from Williams (7^e) was proof of this. A few moments later, the opener completely unscrewed his goal, attempted with his left foot in his own 22 meters. Uncomfortable on the feet, he lacked precision, whether on the occupation or on the candles. His diagonal for Kolbe is nevertheless perfect for the latter's try (22^e). Libbok also missed an important penalty before halftime. Overall, he failed to assert himself in the South African game. He was replaced in 47^e minute by Pollard, who shone with his success against the poles.