England defeat South Africa in tight Twickenham encounter

Owen Farrell

A tight match at Twickenham in London saw England defeat South Africa by 12 points to 11. Springbok wing Sbu Nkosi scored the only try in a match, which was decided by Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly’s kicking.

England 12 – Penalties: Farrell (3), Daly (1)

South Africa 11- Try: Nkosi, Penalties: Pollard (2)

Counting the June Internationals, this result leaves the ledger at 2-2 in terms of results. The Springboks will be very disappointed with this result. Their complete dominance in the first half was worth more than a two-point lead at halftime, but eight points to six it was.

A very poor return for their efforts after 80 minutes, but the visiting teams’ handling and line out accuracy was not really up to international standard.

England defeat South Africa at Twickenham

To their credit, England stuck it out and made the tackles they needed, in order to keep themselves in the game. There were few highlights, apart from the clinical element of the England rugby teams ability.

The South African side brought some effective running, and through their collective efforts, produced the only five-pointer of the match.

Springboks highlight – Nkosi’s wonderfully worked try

Sbu Nkosi’s try was beautifully engineered. The Springboks were hammering away at the England line and quick ruck ball ended up in Warren Whiteley’s hands. He kept cool and didn’t shovel the ball on. He ran at the last defender’s outside shoulder, forcing the tackle. Nkosi’s pace and finishing ability did the rest.

Missed kicks, missed opportunities

England flyhalf Owen Farrell missed one penalty kick from far out. His Springbok counterpart Handre Pollard missed one of his own. Crucially, he missed converting Nkosi’s try – that may have been the difference, as England defeat South Africa at home.

Each side raised the bar in the second half, each looking to cross the others line. Including overthrown lineout set moves, the missed opportunities will be rued by each management group, as they leave Twickenham. Both sides will have to make improvements, as the November calendar continues.

Next fixtures in November Internationals calendar:

Next weekend, South Africa take on France at the Stade de France. Meanwhile, England will host New Zealand again at Twickenham, in a much-anticipated fixture.

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