Staff Reporter.
Marcus Smith kicked a penalty in the 79th minute to give England a hard-fought 27-26 win over South Africa in their Autumn Nations Series clash at Twickenham.
It was an impressive forward performance from a side who were expected to falter against the Springbok pack, while, behind the scrum, Smith, Max Malins and Freddie Steward showed their class.
England dominated the first half, scoring two tries through Manu Tuilagi and Steward, with Smith adding a penalty for a 17-12 lead at the break.
However, Springboks stepped things up in the second half and their forward dominance began to tell as England gave away a number of penalties, allowing Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies to kick six penalties between them.
A Raffi Quirke try in the second half gave England a 24-18 advantage before Makazole Mapimpi scored for South Africa. Elton Jantjies missed with the conversion but a long-range penalty from Francois Steyn gave the Boks a narrow lead.
With five minutes remaining, South Africa were in the ascendancy but Siya Kolisi was adjudged to take have taken Joe Marchant out in the air and was yellow carded.
With less than a minute left on the clock, Elton Jantjies was pinged for going off his feet allowing Smith to kick the winning penalty.
Springboks arrived at Twickenham with the summer’s Lions series victory still fresh in the memory. However, they have looked vulnerable at times in 2021 to a backline that can outflank their defence.
Australia beat them twice in a week back in September with the canny Quade Cooper at the wheel, while Finn Russell’s eye for space frequently opened them up against Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend.
Scorers:
England – 27 (17)
Tries: Manu Tuilagi, Freddie Steward, Raffie Quirke
Conversions: Marcus Smith (3)
Penalties: Smith (2)
South Africa – 26 (12)
Try: Makazole Mapimpi.
England: Steward; Marchant, Slade, Tuilagi, May; Smith, Youngs; Rodd, Blamire, Sinckler, Itoje, Hill, Lawes (capt), Underhill, Curry.
Replacements: Dolly, Marler, Stuart, Ewels, Simmonds, Dombrandt, Quirke, Malins.
South Africa: Le Roux; Kriel, Am, De Allende, Mapimpi; Pollard, Reinach; Nche, Mbonambi, Nyakane, Etzebeth, De Jager, Kolisi, Smith, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Marx, Kitshoff, Koch, Mostert, Wiese, H Jantjies, E Jantjies, Steyn.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Meanwhile Stuart Hogg became Scotland‘s leading try scorer as they earned a third Autumn Nations Series win in four by edging past Japan at Murrayfield.
Elsewhere France held off a resurgent New Zealand to beat the All Blacks for the first time since 2009 in a Paris thriller.