KweséESPN looks at five talking points from the Springboks’ win over England at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Spectacular start to Siya Kolisi’s tenure as Springbok captain
About 18 minutes into the match it looked like England were going to smash the Springboks and spoil the occasion for South Africa’s first black rugby captain. But Kolisi managed to rally his troops and the Boks came back from 3-24 down to take a halftime lead, and eventually went on to win the match. The result is going to give Kolisi and his team a lot of confidence going forward.
The Springboks’ English connection was on fire
Sale Sharks scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and Wasps’ fullback Willie le Roux were instrumental in the Springboks’ comeback in the first half. Man-of-the-Match De Klerk provided the impetus with his quick service and kept the England defenders busy around the rucks. Le Roux’s attacking play was excellent, creating a couple of tries and scoring an important one himself. They have given a new dimension to the Bok attack.
Altitude played a massive part in the second half
England decided to train at the coast in Durban before travelling to Johannesburg, which is 1753 metres above sea level. England made a great start to the match, but seemed to fade in the last hour when the Boks started to gain the ascendancy. England are going back to Durban before the second Test in Bloemfontein, but may have to re-think this strategy if they don’t want to surrender this series next Saturday.
Great outing for Springbok debutants
The three debutants in the run-on Springboks side had a bit of slow start to the match, with both wings Sibusiso Nkosi and Aphiwe Dyantyi being caught out on defence in the first quarter. However, they recovered beautifully, with Nkosi scoring a brace and Dyantyi also going over the second half. They look really dangerous with ball in hand. The other debutant, lock RG Snyman, was all over the park and made some great runs. He came through 80 minutes in his first Test.
England exposed Springboks’ weakness on defence in the wide areas
Eddie Jones definitely did his homework as far as the the Springboks’ defence is concerned. The Boks love to defend narrowly, and English playmakers exposed that by going wide and outflanking the Boks. They targeted the inexperienced Bok wingers and were successful in that first quarter. The home side also slipped a couple of tackles, which helped the visitors get some momentum on attack.