England were handed their 5th defeat on the trot as South Africa took a 3 point victory, coincidentally their 5th straight win at Fortress Twickenham. While the gap was identical to the previous match against the All Blacks, so too was its deception. The Springboks were the better side by a significant margin, handily dismissing a cumbersome English attack that saw little success until Victor Matfield was sent to the bin for collapsing a maul.
Cobus Reinach’s try to kick off the second half was a body blow, but England responded well. They took advantage of the extra man up front to draw level, with some stirling work from Ben Morgan on the second try, but allowing Schalk Burger to cross in the same manner, with Matfield still in the bin, was a bad mistake. It undid half the work that had just been accomplished and totally killed the English momentum.
The final straw was Dylan Hartley’s utterly moronic stamp on Duane Vermeulen. How much longer can Stuart Lancaster overlook his lack of self control? A look at his record doesn’t tell the story. It’s not the frequency of his penalty or card offenses, it’s the sheer stupidity of them, and the fact that they inevitably come at crucial points in big games. Hartley’s strength is his accuracy at the set piece, particularly the lineout. If either Rob Webber or Tom Youngs can figure out how to consistently hit their target, they have to be preferrable options.
Another serious issue for Lancaster resides at no10. This team has proved repeatedly that they are not capable of grinding out wins. Everyone knows what Owen Farrell can and can’t do, but England cannot expect to challenge the top sides without expanding their offensive options. Kyle Eastmond has been completely wasted over the last two games, and the choice between Anthony Watson and Semesa Rokoduguni doesn’t matter a jot if they never see the ball.
The Springboks weren’t at their best, but it was still plenty enough to win without a herculean effort. They’ll get a bit of a rest this week against a middling Italian side before the grand finale in Cardiff, though who exactly Wales will be able to pick for it remains to be seen. England will use Samoa as a tune-up for the Wallabies. There will be changes. There has to be. If they lose to Australia at home, their World Cup chances will take a serious nosedive, one they might not be able to recover from in time.
ENGLAND 28 vs 31 SOUTH AFRICA
Saturday, November 15, 14:30 GMT, London
SCORING
11 mins – P. Lambie pen 0-3
15 mins – J. Serfontein try 0-8
15 mins – P. Lambie con 0-10
27 mins – O. Farrell pen 3-10
32 mins – P. Lambie pen 3-13
36 mins – O. Farrell pen 6-13
41 mins – C. Reinach try 6-18
42 mins – P. Lambie con 6-20
45 mins – D. Wilson try 11-20
45 mins – O. Farrell con 13-20
48 mins – B. Morgan try 18-20
48 mins – O. Farrell con 20-20
53 mins – S. Burger try 20-25
66 mins – P. Lambie pen 20-28
68 mins – G. Ford pen 23-28
76 mins – P. Lambie drop 23-31
79 mins – B. Barritt try 28-31
CARDS
44 mins – V. Matfield yellow (repeat infringements)
61 mins – D. Hartley yellow (foul play)
ENGLAND
M. Brown; A. Watson, B. Barritt, K. Eastmond, J. May; O. Farrell (G. Ford 64), D. Care (B. Youngs 64); J. Marler (M. Mullan 67), D. Hartley (R. Webber 71), D. Wilson (K. Brookes 73); D. Attwood (G. Kruis 67), C. Lawes; T. Wood (R. Webber 61-71), C. Robshaw (capt.), B. Vunipola (B. Morgan 44).
SOUTH AFRICA
W. le Roux; J.P. Pietersen, J. Serfontein, J. de Villiers (capt.), B. Habana; P. Lambie, C. Reinach; T. Mtawarira (T. Nyakane 75), A. Strauss (B. du Plessis 60), J. du Plessis (C. Oosthuizen 64); E. Etzebeth (B. Botha 64), V. Matfield; M. Coetzee, S. Burger (T. Mohoje 77), D. Vermeulen.
Referee: S. Walsh (ARU)
Assistants: J. Garcès (FFR) & N. Briant (NZRU)
TMO: E. Gauzins (FFR)
