Boks shift gears to bury England at Ellis Park
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The Springboks beat England 45-21 (half-time 17-14) in a pulsating Nations Championship match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, with a fast start and a strong finish by South Africa giving them a full-house of log points.
The Springboks started like a house on fire and scored twice in the opening six minutes, by Thomas du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe, for a 12-0 lead.
Kurt-Lee Arendse scored a third try five minutes later and at 17-0, England were struggling, but they started to get some possession and with good attacking play changed the tone and momentum of the match.
The last 15 minutes belonged to the visitors, and a yellow card to Arendse did not help the Bok cause as England's tactical kicking was paying results, with Ellis Genge and George Martin scoring late in the half.
Four more tries followed in the second half as the Boks asserted some physical dominance on the visitors.
Scorers:
Springboks 45 (17) - Tries: Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx, Ben-Jason Dixon. Conversions: Kolbe (5).
England 21 (14) - Tries: Ellis Genge, George Martin, Alex Coles. Conversions: Fin Smith (3).
