England player ratings after they suffered a 45-21 defeat to the Springboks at Ellis Park. The Springboks completely stunned England at the beginning of the game. England found themselves 17-0 down. England fought back in the first half to go into the break 17-14 behind. South Africa turned it on in the second half, scoring four tries, while England only scored one.
England player ratings
Ellis Genge 7
Really powerful carry allowed England to score their first try of the game. Was solid in the scum against Du Toit although this platform slipped later in the game.
Jamie George 7
Thought he had scored on 17 minutes but was offside as JVP had touched the ball. Captaining the team in a difficult environment. Had to pull the team out from the depths early on and lead them back into the contest. Hit 100% of his lineouts.
Joe Heyes 6
A quiet game for the tighthead with not many scrums to deal with. He did do well with what he did need to face.
Alex Coles 6
Scored in the second half to bring the game back within 10 points. Went about his business quietly but did his best to slow down the ball.
George Martin 8
Outstanding carry saw him bounce Jasper Wiese and another on his way to a try in the corner on the stroke of halftime. He racked up 10 or more carries and tackles.
Ollie Chessum 6
Chased down a seemingly hopeless chase into the corner. Cheslin Kolbe misread the bounce, but when Chessum picked up the ball his foot went into touch.
Tom Curry 5
While he made 16 tackles, he just wasn’t able to be effective in the breakdown, where Curry is usually most effective.
Ben Earl 7
Racked up the most carries in the game but was unable to make any major ground. Not only did he make the most carries, but also made England’s most tackles in the game.
Backs
Jack Van Poortvliet 6
Great carry from the base of the ruck which gave England go forward ball for the first time in the 14th minute. England thought they had scored three minutes later but there was an offside in the ruck.
Fin Smith 7
Fantastic 50-22 in the final moments of the first half brought them back into the game with a try. Brilliant conversion brought them within three points at the break.
Cadan Murley 5
Struggled under the high ball, but did make a few decent breaks to bring in some decent metres carried. Struggled with the pace of Kolbe at times and got embarrassed by his step for the try, although that isn’t entirely Murley’s fault.
Seb Atkinson 6
Not a fun day to be a 12 against the solid Springboks line. Didn’t do anything wrong and got some nice play going just before contact.
Tommy Freeman 5
An early error on the floor after a knock-on gave South Africa an early penalty, which they scored shortly after. Got a yellow card for the final 10 minutes after a high tackle on Willemse.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso 5
Struggled to be a major factor in the game. Was a thankless battle for the England wingers under the dominant aerial attack of the Springboks.
Marcus Smith- 5
Outmuscled for the third try where Kurt Lee Arendse was able to go through Smith. Got tackled just short of the line in the 15th minute. Just before halftime he got the ball just ahead of his line and made a great carry to escape danger.
