No great escape this time, just cold hard reality. England have no divine right to beat the world champions every time they face them in London but as this contest drifted to its inevitable conclusion there were distinct echoes of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final in Yokohama. England were not good enough then and they were similarly outplayed here.
South Africa, at the end of a tough old year, fully deserved their first victory over England on this ground since 2014. Their forwards were as flinty as ever but their game-splitting try was a beauty, starting in the visitors’ own 22 and ending with the winger Kurt-Lee Arendse diving into the right corner about 80 metres away. The Springboks have been looking to expand their horizons slightly and here was further proof they have the players to do so.
But whither England? Their autumn has been a curious mix of elation and exasperation but it concluded with boos from the stands and many of the same old questions unanswered. Their calendar year return for 2022 makes for pretty uncomfortable reading. P12 W5 D 1 L6 is statistically their worst return since 2008.
The theory is that England should be judged purely on the World Cup and everything else is mere froth on the pricy Twickenham cappuccino. Which is fine if they go on and lift the Webb Ellis Cup next year. But, for whatever reason, this is a team that only seems to start playing when it has absolutely nothing to lose. Without the 60th-minute red card shown to South Africa’s Thomas du Toit, the final scoreline might have been even more lopsided.
Considering South Africa have also been beaten by Ireland and France in recent weeks, it leaves Eddie Jones with much to ponder. If the idea is to blast past South Africa’s “Bomb Squad” in the second half, the starters need to fulfil their side of the deal first. A penny, too, for the thoughts of Rassie Erasmus, banned from matchday duties for his social-media posts about referees. How he would have loved to have been on the field at the end, lapping up a result that will sooth a lot of green and gold angst.
Only after Du Toit’s departure did England remotely look a team with a spring in their step. The first quarter, in particular, made England’s World Cup group game against the USA look positively electric. Momentum was a struggle for all concerned and even England’s most reliable backs found rhythm elusive. Freddie Steward dropped a routine early high ball and his captain, Owen Farrell, tugged two of his first three penalties wide.
The Springboks were significantly more alert. A smart variation to the front of the lineout almost yielded a try for Siya Kolisi only for the visiting skipper to be held up over the line, and England began to spend an increasing amount of time in their own half. Manu Tuilagi, on his 50th England appearance, had a couple of early rumbles but was otherwise mostly a spectator.
Midfield space was at such an early premium that it felt like a good shout when the quietly impressive Damian Willemse slipped back into the pocket and dropped a goal to make it 6-3. Would it make England change tactical tack? No was the answer, Marcus Smith launching another predictable high ball with only territory in mind. He reckoned with Willemse nipping past Steward and linking with De Klerk and Willie le Roux who put the nippy Arendse away for his seventh try in as many Tests.
Twickenham, the only disco in the world where drum’n’bass interchanges with Jerusalem, fell quiet. When De Klerk chipped over another penalty to make it 14-3 just before the interval it also left England with yet another second half mountain to climb. To be well behind at half-time to strong southern hemisphere opposition is unfortunate. To do so twice in eight days, as Oscar Wilde might have concluded, felt like carelessness.
Inside two minutes of the restart England’s task became even harder courtesy of Willemse’s second drop-goal, this time from 40 metres. It revived memories of Jannie de Beer’s fusillade of drop goals in the quarter-finals of the 1999 World Cup and prompted a midfield dust up between the increasingly upbeat South African forwards and their frustrated opposite numbers.
By now things were threatening to unravel completely for England. Tom Curry, who endured a frustrating night, was shown a yellow card and within a couple of minutes the giant Eben Etzebeth was crashing over for his side’s second try. De Klerk’s conversion and subsequent penalty made it 27-6 and despite Henry Slade’s consolation score with eight minutes left there was to be no All Black-style resurrection.
Add it all together from England’s perspective and what do you have? The angst against Argentina, the jaunt against Japan, the near miss against New Zealand and now this blitz to the Boks. There are still nine months until next year’s World Cup starts but the English public are not expecting much. Jones has mixed and matched his starting XV to little obvious effect and other nations have England’s number. A solitary win over a below-par Japan from four autumn Tests is simply not good enough from a red rose perspective.
