The Springboks will be chasing a fourth consecutive victory over England when the teams meet at Ellis Park on Saturday.
HEAD TO HEAD
Overall
Played: 47
Springboks won: 29
England won: 16
Drawn: 2
In South Africa
Played: 16
Springboks won: 11
England won: 4
Drawn: 1
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PREVIOUS THREE MEETINGS
England 13 Springboks 27
Twickenham, London
26 November 2022
The Springboks produced one of their finest performances of 2022 to beat England at Twickenham, ending an eight-year wait for victory at the famous ground.
After an early exchange of penalties, the Boks took control through flyhalf Damian Willemse, whose drop goal was followed by a brilliant counter-attacking move that saw him combine with fullback Willie le Roux to send winger Kurt-Lee Arendse over for the opening try.
Scrumhalf Faf de Klerk added another penalty to give the Boks a deserved 14-3 half-time lead.
ALSO: ‘Pollock must give Bok fans the big one’
The visitors extended their advantage after the break with Willemse’s second drop goal before lock Eben Etzebeth powered over from close range to make it 27-6.
The contest took an unexpected turn when replacement prop Thomas du Toit was sent off for a dangerous tackle with 20 minutes remaining. England piled on the pressure against the 14-man Boks, but desperate defence – highlighted by try-saving tackles from Arendse and De Klerk – kept the hosts at bay.
Replacement flyhalf Henry Slade scored a late consolation try, but it could not deny the Boks a memorable victory in London.
Springboks 16 England 15
Stade de France, Paris
21 October 2023
The Springboks produced one of the great escape acts to edge England in a dramatic 2023 World Cup semi-final at the Stade de France.
England dominated much of the rain-soaked contest, frustrating the Boks at the set-piece and breakdown while flyhalf Owen Farrell kicked four penalties and a drop goal to establish a 15-6 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Boks struggled to impose themselves, with flyhalf Manie Libbok replaced after 30 minutes and coach Rassie Erasmus emptying his bench early in search of a turnaround.
ALSO: Bok duo set to reach landmark against England
The momentum shifted when the Boks’ replacement front row, led by Ox Nché, began to dominate the scrum.
Sustained pressure from a powerful shove paved the way for replacement lock RG Snyman to crash over in the 69th minute, reducing the deficit to a single point.
With two minutes remaining, another scrum penalty handed replacement flyhalf Handré Pollard the chance to complete the comeback. As he had done in the quarter-final against France, the veteran held his nerve to slot the decisive kick before the Springboks closed out a tense victory to advance to a second successive World Cup final.
England 20 Springboks 29
Twickenham, London
16 November 2024
Winger Cheslin Kolbe scored two superb tries as the world champions secured a third successive win against England and a fourth consecutive triumph at Twickenham.
Scrumhalf Grant Williams opened the scoring with a brilliant solo effort before flank Pieter-Steph du Toit capitalised on lock Eben Etzebeth’s charge-down to help the Boks take a 19-17 lead into half-time.
SMITH: England must ‘play big’ against Boks
Kolbe then produced the decisive moments, finishing a pinpoint cross-kick from flyhalf Manie Libbok before later racing away after centre Damian de Allende sliced through the England defence.
The Boks’ attacking quality was matched by their resilience. The visitors came under intense pressure in the closing stages after replacement prop Gerhard Steenekamp was yellow-carded for repeated infringements, forcing them to defend with 14 men for the final 10 minutes.
England dominated territory during that spell but failed to capitalise, with the Springboks producing a composed defensive display to close out another impressive victory in London.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
The post Boks out to extend dominance over England appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
The Springboks will be chasing a fourth consecutive victory over England when the teams meet at Ellis Park on Saturday.
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