PAUL REES
England did everything but win. They were ahead after two minutes and held on to the lead until there were two minutes to go, making the World Cup holders look ordinary for the most part but on a night when the rain made handling hazardous, the scrum proved decisive.
England held their own when props Joe Marler and Dan Cole were on the field, but when they departed within three minutes of each other, the set-piece turned into penalties for South Africa who trailed by nine points with 11 minutes to go in a game which was largely fought in between the 22s.
Two scrum penalties pr...
Continue reading...
Access all our premium content from as little as 14p per day!
Already a subscriber to our website? Login