England’s rookie flyhalf Marcus Smith kicked a pressure penalty with 15 seconds left on the clock to give the hosts a thrilling 27-26 win over South Africa at Twickenham.
England led 17-6 lead midway through the first half against the team that beat them in the 20198 World Cup final on the back of tries to Manu Tuilagi and Freddie Steward.
But Handre Pollard’s boot kept the Boks in the contest in a tense second half. Raffi Quirke gave England ascendency again but the Springboks, pyhsical and relentless as ever, looked to have the game in the bag when Makazole Mapimpi cross out wide on 69 minutes.
But Eddie Jones’ England team, comfortable conquerers of the Wallabies a week earlier, crowned an unbeaten autumn series when Smith landed his penalty, although South Africa threeatened again in added time before Smith booted the ball dead..
After a miserable fifth-place finish in the Six Nations earlier this year, Jones was under huge pressure but has turned it around capped by this huge scalp.
(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
England started fiercely and the first scrum set the scene for a tough day.
The first try came when Smith and centre Henry Sladeco gave Tuilagi a run into the corner that the covering Pollard was never going to stop.
Steward crossed from close range for a second but Pollard’s boot hipped away at the lead while the introduction of Vincent Koch, Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitschoff – the fabled ‘Bomb Squad’ front row replacements – gave the Boks new belief.
Mapimpi’s score and Frans Steyn’s penalty seemed to have finally squeezed England out of the contest but the hosts came back bravely.
South Africa infringed on the floor at the end of a scrappy passage of play and Smith kept his cool from straight in front.
“The only reason we won that game is we were fighting for each other,” said England captain Courtney Lawes.
“We left a lot of points out there but we can build off that definitely.
“Jonny [Hill] said to me imagine taking this kick.
“I was like ‘that is why he gets paid the big bucks’.
“I really thought we were going to win today. I’m incredibly happy to be able to put in a performance like that.”
Asked what England might do post-match given the autumn series is over, Lawes says: “Get together and have a damn good time.”
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