Forget, for a moment, the crazy final scoreline and the inquest into a fourth successive Test defeat for an England team who cannot currently buy a victory. This was a simply wonderful rugby occasion, a triumph not merely for South Africa and their first black Test captain, Siya Kolisi, but for anyone anywhere who might have begun to wonder if the international game is losing its lustre.
It also involved one of the great sporting comebacks, South Africa somehow recovering a 24-3 deficit to put five tries past a visiting side who spectacularly hit the wall after a breathtaking first quarter. England ultimately scored five tries themselves but, having shipped nine tries against the Barbarians a fortnight ago, the final days of Paul Gustard as their defensive coach are proving grim indeed.
If the rest of the three-Test series is even half as entertaining, the next fortnight will be unmissable, although Eddie Jones will not want any repetition of the lopsided penalty count that ultimately tilted the game towards the Springboks. Jones insisted the effects of altitude did not have a decisive effect on the outcome, blaming individual errors and indiscipline, but England’s inability to sustain their scorching early pace was startling to behold.
Between now and Saturday’s second Test in Bloemfontein, Jones and his forwards also have to confront their increasing inability to manage games away from Twickenham. Even by the standards of such a rollercoaster contest, good international sides do not concede four tries in 19 minutes. Despite the presence of a clutch of Test Lions, they were powerless to stem the tide here once the game turned against them.
In their defence, this was no ordinary afternoon. Some days are simply tailor-made for compelling rugby and this was definitely one of them. The hairs on the neck tend to rise before kick-off at Ellis Park more than at virtually any other ground in the world and Saturday was no exception. Before dusk arrived to replace a cloudless blue African sky, here was further proof that Test rugby is an even more attractive spectacle in daylight, without a greasy dew-laden ball or a subdued crowd huddling together for warmth.
With the hulking Bakkies Botha having handed out the Bok jerseys the previous evening and Kolisi rewriting Springbok legend, it was never going to be a comfortable place for anyone wearing a white shirt. During the flame cannons and shooting fireworks, Kolisi released the hand of his white team mascot and sprinted away to plant the match ball on the centre of the field. During the anthems the game of rugby was all but submerged beneath the wider sociopolitical significance of the moment.
For the first 20 minutes it seemed the emotion was too much for several of the home team. England were 10-0 up inside five minutes with barely a hand having been laid on them, Elliot Daly having kicked a monster 61-metre penalty before Mike Brown, making a mockery of those questioning his selection on the wing, powered through Handré Pollard and Damian De Allende to score in the left corner.
The crowd went quieter still when the home midfield was expertly outwitted by George Ford and Daly cantered over unopposed at a venue where so many English sides have struggled down the years. When more sharp approach work yielded another softish try for Farrell, who converted all three scores, it appeared to be game, set and match.
Instead, the Springboks came roaring back, the contest utterly transformed. The outstanding Faf de Klerk darted over for his side’s first try before two scores inside four minutes from the fleet-footed S’busiso Nkosi and another from Willie Le Roux, all converted by Pollard, incredibly put the Boks ahead.
Jones responded by sacrificing the 20-year-old Nick Isiekwe and throwing on the New Zealand-reared Brad Shields for his debut. The third quarter was slightly less frenetic but the sin-binning of Mako Vunipola, playing his 50th Test, opened the door for a fifth Springbok try from the winger Aphiwe Dyantyi.
Pollard could even afford to miss a couple of kickable penalties as England continued to offend. At times, too, there were massive holes in the England defence, with the Springbok scrum also making serious inroads after the ginger-haired Stephen Kitshoff had been introduced from the bench. While Maro Itoje and the constantly sharp Jonny May scored late tries, there was never much of a sense that England were about to rise from the slab.
It leaves Jones with plenty to consider before the second Test. The England coach played down a tunnel altercation after the game with a vociferous home fan. “I said where can I get a good bottle of Pinotage and let’s have a chat about it?’ he said. “I wouldn’t worry about a discussion about a bottle of red wine in the tunnel.”
South Africa’s players, though, will certainly be more confident next week with a home support that will feel hugely emboldened. It will be extremely hard for Jones and his assistants to turn things around inside a few days, with the squad returning to sea level in Durban rather than staying up on the high veld. There is a bigger picture, though, and it is dominated by the hugely impressive Kolisi, the face of a nation desperate to find new ways to heal past divisions. Extraordinary days like this help immeasurably.
Quick guide South Africa 42-39 England lineups
South Africa Le Roux (Geland 64); Nkosi, Am, De Allende (Jantjies 76), Dyantyi; Pollard, De Klerk (Van Zyl 70); Mtawarira (Kitshoff 48), Mbonambi, W Louw (T du Toit 48), Snyman, Mostert, Kolisi (capt), J-L Du Preez (P Du Toit 48), Vermeulen Tries De Klerk, Nkosi 2, Le Roux, Dyantyi Cons Pollard 4 Pens Pollard 3
England Daly; May, Slade, Farrell (capt), Brown (Solomona 76); Ford, Youngs; M Vunipola (Marler 76), George (Cowan‑Dickie 64), Sinckler (Williams 58), Itoje, Isiekwe (Shields 36), Robshaw, T Curry (Hughes, 66), B Vunipola Sin‑bin M Vunipola 64 Tries Brown, Daly, Farrell, Itoje, May Cons Farrell 4 Pens Daly, Farrell
Referee Ben O’Keefe (NZ)
- The picture on this story was changed on 9 June 2018 to replace an image that had been miscaptioned as S’busiso Nkosi by the agency
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