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South Africa vs England - English Player Ratings
By Alex Shaw
England got their summer series off to a rollercoaster start, racing into a 24-3 point lead in Johannesburg, before imploding late in the first half and ultimately succumbing to a 42-39 loss at Ellis Park.
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There were plenty of positives for England early in the game and then again later, as they attempted to chase the Springboks down, but it was a performance littered with errors and inconsistencies.
We have run the rule over the England side and rated all the performers, from one to 23.
Continue reading below…
- Elliot Daly – 5
After nailing a 61m penalty in the opening minutes of the game and cruising in for England’s third try, it quickly began to unravel for Daly. Two turnovers kicked out on the full, a missed grounding of the ball inside his own try-line and defensive errors in conjunction with Brown on the left wing. He redeemed himself somewhat with an excellent defensive read early in the second half that saved a certain try.
- Jonny May – 8
Showed good speed and work rate to set up two of England’s three early tries, coming off his wing to set up the second. Arguably too passive in defence for Sbu Nkosi’s second try of the game. Weaved his way to a wonderful try late in the game and gave England a shot at victory with two minutes to play.
- Henry Slade – 5
Showed good, quick hands, to help England get the ball wide early but faded out of the game as it went on and South Africa got the ascendancy up front. A frustrating knock-on in a tackle by Faf de Klerk after a significant break in the second half ended a minor swing in momentum towards England, as did one when Slade came back against the grain outside Ford a few minutes later.
- Owen Farrell – 6
Provided a clinical secondary option outside of George Ford and was justly rewarded for his playmaking when his support-running brought him a try from a May break in the first half. Kicked well but missed a crucial conversion late on that would have brought England within one score of taking the lead. Like England’s other playmakers, faded as the game went on.
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- Mike Brown – 6
Started brightly, showing good footwork and strength to get over for England’s first try, but then struggled defensively with his positioning and lateral quickness. Defensively grew into the game in the second half but there will still be questions about his and Daly’s respective positions in this XV. Won two turnovers, to his credit.
- George Ford – 6
Pulled the strings excellent in the first quarter of the match, fizzing passes that picked apart a narrow Springbok defence. As South Africa began to dominate in the second and third quarters, Ford disappeared from the game, though.
- Ben Youngs – 5
A mixed bag for Youngs, who looked bright early with his passing and support-running, but uncharacteristically struggled with his kicks from hand, either not allowing his chasers to compete or failing to find touch. Struggled to keep de Klerk under wraps.
- Mako Vunipola – 5
Showed plenty of work rate and stamina and was having an influence in both attack and defence, before a yellow card for a late tackle tarnished what had otherwise been a solid outing.
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- Jamie George – 5
The lineout worked well, in limited opportunities, but George leaked penalties in the first half, twice pinged for failing to roll away at the contact area. Did not influence the game in the loose in the way he would have liked, either.
- Kyle Sinckler – 6
Won a penalty from Tendai Mtawawira in the opening exchanges, before settling into a close-fought battle between the two. Came under pressure in the second half when the fresh legs of Steven Kitshoff came on to the pitch and didn’t manage to have the impact in the loose he would have wanted.
- Maro Itoje – 5
Leaked penalties in the first half and got caught out on the fringes by the effervescent Faf de Klerk. Indiscipline carried on in the second half, both at the breakdown and with high tackles. He was England’s primary lineout jumper, though, and had 100% success with George at the set-piece. Stretched over for a pivotal try late on, a score that few others would have had the reach to make.
- Nick Isiekwe – 6
The lock was the unlucky player to get the shepherd’s crook in the first half when England began to implode and they sent for the experience of Brad Shields. He led the line with good speed in the 35 minutes he was on the pitch and can count himself unfortunate to be the player sacrificed.
- Chris Robshaw – 5
Not the bounce-back performance from a forgettable outing against the Barbarians that Robshaw wanted. Worked hard for 80 minutes but couldn’t exert any major influence as a carrier or at the breakdown. Struggled to stop physical South African carriers on the gain-line, too.
- Tom Curry – 6
A busy, industrious performance, albeit without the turnovers that many fans, perhaps unfairly, demand of any England seven. A nice burst in the second half showed his potential with ball in hand, too, but an ankle injury saw him replaced shortly after.
- Billy Vunipola – 6
The N8 was reliable under the South African kick-offs and brought an ability to break the Springbok defensive line as a one-out carrier. Couldn’t rip off any carries for big gains but showed signs of improving fitness as he continues his comeback from injury.
Replacements
- Luke Cowan-Dickie – 6
Connected successfully with his jumpers on both of his throws shortly after replacing George. Had his final lineout stolen, with England in South Africa’s half and only three points down.
- Joe Marler – n/a
Short cameo after Vunipola’s sin-bin period ended. Limited scope to impact the game.
- Harry Williams – 6
Only had the one scrum to have a go at Kitshoff. Worked hard in the loose, particularly at the breakdown.
- Brad Shields – 6
Arrived at the 35-minute mark for Isiekwe and was most prominent for being the player England sent up to compete against the Springboks lineouts.
- Nathan Hughes – 6
A couple of powerful carriers after he came on but failed to clear-out Kitshoff in the 75th minute, which earned South Africa a penalty and saw them take the lead from seven to ten points.
- Ben Spencer – n/a
Only came on with five minutes left to play and had little chance to influence the game.
- Piers Francis – n/a
Arrived with Spencer and faced the same limited opportunities.
- Denny Solomona – n/a
The same situation as Spencer and Francis.
