Beauty and brutality of the triple crowning
England 53 South Africa 3 - Clean sweep of the south at Fortress Twickers
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Your support makes all the difference.It was anything but pretty, yet England completed their clean sweep of victories against the southern hemisphere's so-called giants with a 53-3 victory that broke almost as many South African hearts as records at Twickenham yesterday. The match was reduced effectively to a no-contest in the 22nd minute when the Springbok lock Jannes Labuschagne was sent off for a late challenge on the England outside-half, Jonny Wilkinson.
What had looked likely to turn out to be a closely fought encounter was in a moment reduced by the New Zealand referee, Paddy O'Brien, to nothing more than a stroll in the park for England. That it turned out to be a stroll where the uncompromising South African defence took many English casualties did not escape the England coach, Clive Woodward.
"This was a brutally tough Test match,'' he said. "Our self-control was magnificent in difficult circumstances. People could have gone off before the sending-off and I am pleased that the referee didn't bottle it.'' But in following up their wins on the previous two Saturdays, against New Zealand and Australia, England did have to pay a price.
One of those injured was Wilkinson himself, who departed the stadium with his left arm in a sling. "I have had some X-rays done, and they were pretty good. They don't show any breakages, but I am not going to know for another 24 or 48 hours what I have actually done," he said of his painful shoulder."
Lewis Moody, the young Leicester flanker, was helped off in the first half nursing a shoulder injury and in the second half was followed by Wilkinson and then the scrum-half, Matt Dawson. But Woodward was still a happy man as England not only recorded their biggest-ever victory over the Springbok but also passed 50 points for the first time in an international against one of the big three. Two tries by Will Greenwood, assisted by touchdowns from Ben Cohen, Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back and Richard Hill, as well as a penalty try, sent the South Africans on a miserable journey home.
Wales saw their hopes of breaking a 49-year losing streak against New Zealand end in disappointment despite a strong display at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The All Blacks grabbed three late tries for a 43-17 win.
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