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As it happenedended

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England vs South Africa - Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly secure controversial victory over Springboks

Follow the latest from the opening autumn international at Twickenham

In association with

Jack de Menezes

Twickenham

Saturday 03 November 2018 17:26 GMT

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England rugby training session in Portugal

England fought back from behind to defeat South Africa 12-11 and kickstart not only their autumn international campaign but also their Rugby World Cup plans.

But it took a hugely controversial finish to fall in England's favour to secure the win, with Owen Farrell involved in a last-play TMO review for what appeared to be a shoulder tackle on replacement Andre Esterhuizen.

Referee Angus Gardner and Irish TMO Olly Hodges reviewed the tackle after the former had initially blown for full-time, but deemed it just on the side of legal to hand England a hugely important victory.

The win gives England back-to-back wins over the Springboks, which is all the more impressive given the number of players that Eddie Jones was missing from his squad and the lack of ball carriers they had in the pack, and it is the perfect preparation for welcoming the All Blacks to Twickenham next weekend.

England vs South Africa player ratings

Show all 30

1/30England vs South Africa player ratings

England vs South Africa player ratings

<b>England:</b> 15. Mike Brown - 7 out of 10

Unlucky not to have bagged a try before Lawes touched down. Reliable with the boot but made one bad decision to run with the ball when sending it back to the Springboks 22 would have been more advised. Fed May for the opening try.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

14. Marland Yarde - 6 out of 10

Kept quiet and was somewhat starved of ball. Ford looked to bring him into the game by chipping ahead when he had space ahead of him.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

13. Elliot Daly - 8 out of 10

England looked to utilise his talents with the ball in hand, but he was also on the end of a few hefty hits early on. Coped well though, and punished the Boks with a 50m-plus penalty kick on the stroke of half-time. Combined a nice blend of creative passing and decisive running lines.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

12. Owen Farrell - 8 out of 10

Missed one penalty effort that, given his form with the boot, you’d expect him to land. Supported Youngs smartly to bag his try, and showed a toughness in running the ball that surprised the Boks’ backs. Assertive as ever in defence.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

11. Jonny May - 7 out of 10

There’s something about Jonny May and what is quickly becoming May’s corner at Twickenham. Displayed his speed to hold off Paige to score the opening try on his return to the international fold.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

10. George Ford - 7 out of 10

Two poor kicks early on were quickly forgotten when his beautifully delayed pass released Yarde and set-up the first try for May. Grew into the game and found his kicking boots, though used those outside him when the opportunity arose as the Boks’ defence fell apart.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

9. Ben Youngs - 9 out of 10

Unlocked the South African defence twice with two dummies that will feature in Pieter-Steph du Toit’s nightmares for some time. Both came from the base of the ruck, demonstrating his awareness to make the most of the limited space afforded to him.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

1. Mako Vunipola - 8 out of 10

Did the bulk of the carrying along with his brother the great effect and rarely went backwards. His scrummaging has come on over the last year, but while he held his own in the front-row it’s still an area of slight weakness for the Saracen. That said, there wasn’t much else to fault him on.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

2. Dylan Hartley - 7 out of 10

Reliable as ever at the lineout, though the return of Wood gave him plenty of options in the air. Not as prominent in the loose, and didn’t have too much to do defensively as South Africa lacked ideas beyond one-out rugby.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

3. Dan Cole - 7 out of 10

Penalised early on for coming in at the side, but made up for it with a turnover penalty of his own. A force in defence, and coped well with the Beast in the scrum.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

4. Joe Launchbury - 8 out of 10

Stepped into the shoes of the absent Maro Itoje, and flourished on his return to the fold. While Itoje does the prominent work, Launchbury did a lot of the hidden stuff that gave England the platform to attack. Strong work in the air at the lineout.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

5. Courtney Lawes - 7 out of 10

Led the side out on his 50th cap and was celebrating 36 minutes later. Alert enough to dive on the ball after Brown’s apparent knock-on that proved otherwise after a TMO review. Looked to take on a much smarter role than his usual ‘enforcer’ self.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

6. Chris Robshaw - 8 out of 10

Thudding hit on Paige won possession for his side in the first-half and set the tone for his own performance. Worked hard to rush out from the first marker role and cut-off any inside balls.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

7. Tom Wood - 7 out of 10

Will have gained the fury of Jones with two quick penalties in the opening six minutes, but settled down and proved a force in the lineout and in the loose as he worked well with Yarde on the right. Led the defence, as he once used to.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

8. Billy Vunipola - 8 out of 10

Disappointed the crowd when he turned down an early chance to run at the Boks by calling mark, but soon announced his arrival with a barnstorming run through the middle. Another burst saw off Etzebeth as he left the field with a rattled head. Not his finest performance, but it was still one of the standout showings.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

<b>South Africa:</b> 15. Willie le Roux - 6 out of 10

Looked shaky in the first half as he kicked the ball straight into touch to put his side under pressure, and also saw very little of the ball on the front foot. Finished his late try well, but that was about it.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

14. Ruan Combrinck - 5 out of 10

One beautiful touchline conversion apart, this wasn’t a great showing from the wing. Ineffective with the ball, and managed to fire a penalty touch-finder dead to cost South Africa an attacking platform.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

13. Francois Venter - 6 out of 10

Lovely flick out the back of the hand set-up replacement Johan Goosen for the Springboks’ first try, via the hands of Whiteley, but was somewhat exposed in defence.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

12. Damian de Allende - 6 out of 10

Was still trying to create any sort of attack from South African ball right at the death, but found a white wall in front of him. Defensively suspect as Farrell and Daly enjoyed success opposite him, though he was softened up somewhat by Billy Vunipola.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

11. JP Pietersen - 5 out of 10

Knock-on from the high ball led to the second try for England and unfortunately goes down as his fault. Had a chance to impose on Yarde with the high ball but couldn’t capitalise. Largely anonymous otherwise.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

10. Patrick Lambie - 5 out of 10

Two early penalties were followed by a miss from distance, but while he didn’t put many feet wrong, he struggled to control his back line. Hauled off short of the hour mark after lacking creativity.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

9. Rudy Paige - 5 out of 10

Rattled by Robshaw and exposed by May, he didn’t enjoy a great first start at Twickenham. Didn’t marshal his forwards around the park that left South Africa on the back foot.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

1. Tendai Mtwarira - 6 out of 10

Great early run caught England out on the fringe and gained 30m for his side. Apart from that, he offered little, and Cole soon got the better of him in the front-row in a hard-fought battle.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

2. Adriaan Strauss - 6 out of 10

Doesn’t strike the opposition as a fearsome leader. Missed a chance to break when he attempted to fly-hack the ball on and missed. Replaced by Bongi Mbonambi with 10 minutes remaining.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

3. Vincent Koch - 5 out of 10

Guilty of dropping the ball at least twice and was exposed by Youngs as the scrum-half surged into the 22 in the first half.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

4. Eben Etzebeth - 5 out of 10

Had little time to impose himself on the game as he was bowled over by Billy Vunipola, suffering a head injury in the first half and leaving the field as a result. His departure sparked the rapid decline of the Springboks.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

5. Lood de Jager - 5 out of 10

Has trimmed himself down since his last tour on these shores at the World Cup, but for a man of his side he is not imposing on the opposition as he should be. Shirked the responsibility of carrying as others took on his work load.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

6. Willem Alberts - 7 out of 10

South Africa’s most impressive player as he did the hard yards and was also an unavoidable target in defence. A shame that those around him didn’t match his levels.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

7. Pieter-Steph du Toit - 4 out of 10

Exposed twice by Youngs that will have any rugby player embarrassed. Looked out of his depth at blindside, and should probably return to the second row for his next appearance.

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England vs South Africa player ratings

8. Warren Whiteley - 6 out of 10

Sucked in Brown to release Goosen and set-up South Africa’s first try, but by then it was too late. Had front-foot ball at the scrum, although he could have done more with it.

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South Africa took the lead in the first half through a Handre Pollard penalty that Farrell soon matched, although by that point Maro Itoje had been sent to the sin-bon for repeatedly infringing. But the Springboks hit the gas soon after Itoje's return that saw the wing Sbu Nkosi spring over in the corner, with Pollard missing what would prove a crucial conversion.

England landed an immediate response as Farrell struck his second penalty before the break, but after half-time England spurred into life. Elliot Daly stepped up to strike a 49m penalty that nudged England into the lead, and while Pollard was able to put the Springboks back in front, England's defence set the tone for their attack that suddenly started to click. Farrell was given a late chance to win the match for England seven minutes from time, and although Pollard was given his own chance a few minutes later, his effort just shaved the outside of the upright to hand England victory.

Re-live the live action below.

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What time does it start?

England vs South Africa kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 3 November.

Where can I watch it?

The Test will be shown live on Sky Sports Action from 2:00pm and Sky Sports Main Event from 2:30pm.

Teams

England: Elliot Daly; Jack Nowell, Henry Slade, Ben Te’o, Jonny May; Owen Farrell, Ben Youngs; Alec Hepburn, Dylan Hartley, Kyle Sinckler; Maro Itoje, George Kruis; Brad Shields, Tom Curry, Mark Wilson.

Replacements: Jamie George, Ben Moon, Harry Williams, Charlie Ewels, Zach Mercer, Danny Care, George Ford, Chris Ashton.

South Africa: Damian Willemse; Sbu Nkosi, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Aphiwe Dyantyi; Handre Pollard, Ivan van Zyl; Steven Kitschoff, Malcolm Marx, Frans Malherbe; Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit; Siya Kolisi, Duane Vermeulen, Warren Whiteley.

Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman, Lood de Jager, Embrose Papier, Elton Jantjies, Andre Esterhuizen.

77 mins: It's coming round...coming round,,,it hits the upright and deflects clear!

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:48

79 mins: South Africa break as Kriel finds a gap and they're into the England 22. Alarm bells are ringing for the hosts...

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:50

80 mins: Farrell strips the ball in the tackle and force the turnover! England kick clear, but there's 30 seconds left on the clock!

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:51

80 mins: We're into the red and the Springboks are between halfway and the Englanfd 10m with little progress...

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:53

80 mins: England think they've won it...but we've got a late TMO! Farrell's tackle is under review...

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:54

80 mins: Farrell's hit Esterhuizen that dislodges the ball...and it's ruled fair!

England beat South Africa 12-11!

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 16:55

Owen Farrell kicks England to victory over Springboks in controversial finish

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 17:03

Full-time: Never have I seen a Test at Twickenham end in such confusion, but between referee Angus Garnder and TMO Olly Hodges, they deemed Farrell's questionable tackle on Andre Esterhuizen just about legalm handing England the most unlikeliest of wins.

A tale of two halves it was, but England march on to next week's clash with the All Blacks with wind in their sails and a win under their belt.

Jack de Menezes3 November 2018 17:05

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