1 hour ago
Key events
5 min: F Smith kicks agelong to Willemse who chips and chases and gathers his ain return. Wiese is complete nan gainline. Kriel finds Kolbe connected nan near wing. My connection they look connected it. Nche carries and runs complete a tackler, nan prop runs 25 metres into England’s 22….
TRY! South Africa 5-0 England (T du Toit, 3)
The vessel charges over! Off nan line-out, Marx went correct complete nan top. The shot is soon flung to Willemse connected nan canter, he came adjacent but was hauled down. From location it was kept tight successful nan area and nan Bath fable picks and drives and won’t beryllium denied.
Kolbe has nan kicking tee and he shanks it correct of nan sticks from nan near tram.
1 min: Willemse fields a precocious kick. Libbok hoists 1 himself and Smith climbs and spills. That’s not guardant but Freeman’s involution was. And Englishman besides loses his feet truthful Libbok rakes to nan area and Marx will person a propulsion wrong English territory.
Kick-off
‘The last countdown’ blasts astir Ellis Park.
Decent crowd successful arsenic James Doleman blows his whistle and we’re nether measurement pinch Libbok kicking america off!
This could each hinge connected nan scrum.
Not that England fans request reminding, but this narration is now defined by 2 scrums.
One successful 2019 erstwhile Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira consumed Dan Cole. And past successful 2023 erstwhile Ox ‘salads-don’t-win-scrums’ Nche turned nan tide successful nan semi-final.
The players are out. Well, England first. Then travel nan South Africans, led by muscled men dressed for illustration a Zulu warriors, brandishing spears and knobkerries.
Then travel nan Boks, led by Damian Willense and Cheslin Kolbe who triumph their 50th caps.
Luca Human has been successful touch hoping for immoderate Saffa joy:
“After nan disappointing consequence against Canada, hoping for a spot of a rebound for SA sports today. Sucks re Siya & Eben, but arsenic an avid Stormers instrumentality I person afloat assurance successful Paul de Villiers.”
Add successful nan Women’s T20 World Cup – wherever England trounced South Africa – and bully news connected nan transportation has been successful short supply.
David Flatman and Topsy Ojo are connected surface chatting astir altitude.
Johannesburg sits 1,750 metres supra oversea level.
Bryan Habana is now talking about.
Does it matter? Well, if you’re interested, I explored that here.
Wales hit Fiji 39-24.
Shame for Fiji but from what I saw they were beautiful sloppy.
So that’s 2-2 successful nan Nations Championship truthful far. A reminder of nan results:
-
New Zealand 34-32 France
-
Japan 27-10 Italy
-
Australia 31-33 Ireland
-
Fiji 24-39 Wales
Why are Wales 2nd there? Because technically they were nan distant side. A farce, really, arsenic nan crippled was played successful Cardiff. But for reasons that do not widen beyond finances Fiji aren’t hosting immoderate of their location games. I dream they’re making a luck and this is nan past twelvemonth this malarky happens.
Curious to spot really galore fans are successful nan stands today.
You’d deliberation it’d beryllium a sell-out. But a operation of costly tickets, nan stadium being located successful a portion of municipality pinch a mediocre reputation, and that nan All Blacks are playing 2 matches successful nan state successful August, intends SA Rugby person struggled to sling tickets.
They’ve reduced nan value (which is simply a reliable break for those who did salary nan premium fee) and person been rather punchy, saying:
“Predictions that nan attendance would beryllium small much than 21 000 were wholly erroneous and misinformed. SA Rugby hopes to get adjacent to nan historical mean against England successful SA of 91% of nan stadiums’ capacity successful a marketplace successful which tickets are connected waste for 4 Test matches and 2 provincial matches against nan touring All Blacks. Assertions of deficiency of liking are unfounded and not supported by nan existent income data.”
Well, nary 1 said location wasn’t interest. I person liking successful surviving successful a location pinch a swimming pool.
Here’s immoderate reference for you while we build towards kick-off:
England squad news
It’s not arsenic dramatic, but England person had to make a precocious alteration of their own.
George Furbank has appendicitis and was taken to infirmary yesterday. That intends Marcus Smith moves from nan chair to nan 15 jersey.
Henry Slade joins nan 23 connected nan bench.
Steve Borthwick has gone for immoderate large timber successful nan battalion and has picked a 6-2 split. George Martin and Alex Coles could triumph this lucifer for their state if they guidelines up and deterioration down nan now lightened Springboks pack.
Of people each eyes will beryllium connected nan bench, eager to spot Henry Pollock participate nan scene. No visiting subordinate since Jonah Lomu has attracted arsenic overmuch attraction arsenic nan Northampton Saints lad. (No, I’m not comparing nan two, but nan corporate headloss from Saffa fans has been immense).
England: Marcus Smith; Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Seb Atkinson, Cadan Murley; Fin Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge, Jamie George (c), Joe Heyes, Alex Coles, George Martin, Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Beno Obano, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Carlie Ewels, Guy Pepper, Henry Pollock, Alex Mitchell, Henry Slade.
Kolisi and Etzebeth out! SA squad news
We’re going to find retired if this extent successful SA rugby everyone keeps banging connected astir is truth aliases guff.
A bombshell has landed. Both Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth person been withdrawn from nan match-23.
Pieter-Steph du Toit shifts to nan 2nd statement and will skipper nan squad while Cameron Hanekom – a superb jock but 1 who is yet to radiance connected a Test transportation – will return nan 7 jersey pinch Paul de Villiers making his debut astatine 6.
There’s a mini situation astatine lock. In fact, location are nary replacement locks connected nan chair pinch Marco van Staden and Ben-Jason Dixon (more of a loose guardant than a lock) nan forwards connected a 5-3 bench.
South Africa: Damian Willemse; Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Manie Libbok, Grant Williams; Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), Ruan Nortje, Paul de Villiers, Cameron Hanekom, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Gerhard Steenekamp, Zachary Porthen, Marco van Staden, Ben-Jason Dixon, Cobus Reinach, Andre Esterhuizen, Canan Moodie.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
We return to nan spot wherever it each started.
Back successful 2018, connected a wintry Johannesburg day, Eddie Jones’ England came to municipality to play a dynasty successful its infancy.
It was nan first location lucifer of nan Rassie Erasmus era and nan first clip Siya Kolisi skippered nan side.
After England raced to a 24-3 lead astatine Ellis Park, nan Springboks went connected to triumph 42-39 and statesman nan first steps arsenic 1 of nan astir ascendant sides nan athletics has ever seen. Two World Cups, a British & Irish Lions tour, 3 Rugby Championship titles and 2 of their players crowned champion successful nan world. It’s been immoderate ride.
England are back. They person a different coach though their hosts haven’t changed excessively much. Erasmus is still successful charge. Kolisi is still skipper. The weight of a federation still rests connected their meaty shoulders.
What has changed is nan expectations astir this fixture. Anything different than a South African romp will beryllium viewed arsenic an upset. But I’ve sewage a sneaky emotion England could outpouring a surprise. I’m not saying they’ll win, but this could beryllium tighter than immoderate person imagined.
In a time littered pinch blockbuster matches, this is surely nan header act. I cannot wait!
Kick-off astatine 17:40 successful Johannesburg/16:40 BST.
Team news (and location are immoderate doozies) and different bits to follow.
