2nd SA Test a review - little by little

[Digby]

Minute 14

Farrell makes a decent attempt with the conversion but misses on the near post

[Digby]

Minute 15

SA kick to Brown who takes contact, England don't box kick clear, instead the run another phase (going backwards) and then the ball is back to Ford who also doesn't kick but sends the ball wide. Are we again just assuming we can simply pass down the line and beat their defence? In any event it's not on, Farrell kicks clear over halfway but the ball isn't off the park, this caused us a problem last week. Pollard puts up a return kick, Ford bottles going up in the air to contest, Farrell and May possibly assuming Ford will come forward onto the ball apply no pressure and WLR is left free to take Pollard's kick, May especially just runs past WLR and allows that not only is the catch uncontested but WLR can easily pass away still taking no contact, that's not just passive from England they don't even seem aware play is ongoing.

One of the Saffa wingers has the ball I assume 11, Slade could try a tackle but instead tries to slap the ball out of his grasp, Slade fails. Mako and Maro both decide contact is better than no contact but they both take out decoys and Green 2 is breaking onto the ball at pass heading for our 22. England get the Saffa hooker down but he's going forwards in contact.

[Digby]

Minute 16

SA sadly for them don't make a quick play the ball, so it's one out and Green 1 runs into Slade and marginally through him to get them going again. Faf blows that with a terrible pass that misses Pollard and bounces on the ground, we'd rip into Youngs for that effort without doubt. WLR gathers the ball and sends it on to Green 12, he goes into contact with May and Farrell, Farrell rips the ball but only into touch so it's a green lineout.

SA win the lineout, England initially do well defending the maul but SA show more patience. England lose control, Curry then goes to join in then backs off, Launch almost swims up the side and then backs off.

[Digby]

Minute 17

SA win a pen from one of the offences made in our defence and kick to the corner. We leave them free to win front ball by putting Billy at the front to mark Snyman, oddly Billy isn't lifted to contest. Having not contested the ball either Mako or Maro then (I think) mkaes a deliberate knock on as Snyman tries to get the ball down/back.

SA kick to the corner again

[Digby]

Minute 18

Most of the minute is Faz talking to the ref getting jostled by his opposite number (captain not position wise)

SA eventually throw in, have their maul stopped and concede a scrum turnover.

[Digby]

Minute 19

Almost nothing happens then at the last the ball goes into the scrum and it's a scrum pen against England, who knows

[Digby]

Minute 20

SA go to the corner again, win the lineout, look to set a maul and then play out the back. Pollard doesn't move the ball but runs at Ford and goes forward in contact. Again SA slow their own ball as Faf fafs (all my own work that last). SA go right twice, first Green 5 steps inside Shields and is tackled my Maro, and then Green 7 takes a low chop tackle from Sinckler with Mako following up, I might be doing him a disservice but I'm not convinced Sinkler used the arms, it's an area he needs to be careful with in his game

[Digby]

Minute 21

We're back for another Green penalty, this time for collapsing their previous maul following their previous penalty. I assume the ref took issue with Shields idea of how to contest a maul, but I can't be asked to go back and look again.

It's back to the corner again for another attacking SA lineout

SA take advantage of England not front marking (not even with SA running a 6 man lineout) to simply throw the ball in flat to a grounded Green 4, nice play from SA

Synman offloads to a 3 man group coming around him to the shortside. England make their tackle(s), the ball comes back right/open to Green 1 and Maro makes the tackle/

Faf throws the ball into touch, I'm assuming Faf tried to pass the ball, but as good as he was last week he's having a shocking error strewn opening to this match

[Digby]

Minute 22

England win the lineout, maul a little and Youngs makes an excellent clearing box kick which goes out into touch nearly up to halfway. The ball disappears into the crowd.

England do rather switch off at this point, however the crowd aren't allowed to take a quick lineout seeing as they're not a player, and a player can't take a quick lineout when the ball has gone into the crowd (or has that changed? if so again I can't keep up), however SA take a sort of quick lineout with another ball and we're off again

England almost get onto the ball, but SA are able to keep the ball and run a couple of phases

[Digby]

I'd be really miffed at that last if I was Youngs, to finally get one off the park and not have it count. I didn't see what happened as regards the ball coming back into play as the cameras only caught it at distance.

[Digby]

Minute 23

SA try to expose England going wide but really only go backwards 15-20m

SA run two plays where the carrying option runs back against our inside defenders, and actually our inside defence doesn't seem to be right in either game so they might want to do more of that. To end the minute they run towards the left and have another ruck a short way beyond our 10 line

[Digby]

Minute 24

England have 3 forwards on the floor from the previous ruck so maybe we're stretched, but whatever nobody defends the back of the ruck. I can see Farrell arrives and moves around to the far side, I didn't catch whether it should in the even have been Farrell or someone else take up the role behind the ruck.

Green 1 stands up and realises nobody is bothering to defend right up the middle so makes easy ground. SA come right and the ball for some reason (I assume us cheating) flies out the tackle/ruck but only to Green 8 who steps Billy and Youngs and makes it over for a try.

It was one thing to step Billy, that Youngs was stepped too suggests he wasn't concentrating or just bottled tackling Vermuelen and gave it the old French 15 shrug suggesting he'd done his best when frankly not really even making an effort.

One feature of SA in these two games is just how often carriers are setting themselves up to be able to go off either foot, it's really good energy from SA, and it's making it hard for us to sort our footwork in defence and costing us badly in contact.

[Digby]

Minute 25

Pollard kicks the 2

[Digby]

Minute 26

A shortish restart from England, May can't get at the ball but does force the receiver into a tap back not clean catch. SA get the ball back to Faf but onto his right foot thus taking away an option to kick, Faf passes infield to Pollard, Green 10 moves it on again to De Allende. Green 12 runs at Maro and oddly loses contact and knocks on in the process, but nothing given. Faf box kicks clear, it's not a great kick but Brown makes a right pig's ear and it's scrum ball for SA

[Digby]

Minute 27

Brown knocked on into touch so SA take the lineout.

SA win the lineout and Faf box kicks clear, Billy takes the ball and carries strongly back into their half. Ball on a plate for Youngs. Sinckler the next to crash it up, nothing close to a linebreak but he's going forwards. Two positive carries and Ford is inspired to put up a high ball, it's not a clean take but SA get away with it. Green 13 kicks over our line and the ball is claimed by Ford just inside our half, with Green 13 pushing up on him Ford passes to Farrell who is running back alongside him soon to be under pressure from WLR

[Raggs]

Farrell was at guard, but he was busy shoving a South African rather than defending.

[Digby]

Minute 28

Farrell does about as much as he can to draw WLR before passing to Daly running backwards alongside him, and this all started with us kicking away ball after 2 good carries.

Daly prods the ball down into the SA 22, but Faf is under no pressure and belts the ball out on the full from inside the 22. England lineout just outside our 22

England win the lineout but are pinged for obsruction trying to set up the maul. So we'v now not only lost control of territory (again) we've also coughed up possession (again). SA are barely having to work for this.

[Digby]

Farrell was at guard, but he was busy shoving a South African rather than defending.

I might have been watching too quickly, I saw he arrived and failed to defend there, but perhaps someone else was better placed. If that's what he did then it's brainless, which is to say par for the course

[Raggs]

I watched a few times and recognised his boots. It was him and it was brainless.

[Puja]

Minute 28

Farrell does about as much as he can to draw WLR before passing to Daly running backwards alongside him, and this all started with us kicking away ball after 2 good carries.

Daly prods the ball down into the SA 22, but Faf is under no pressure and belts the ball out on the full from inside the 22. England lineout just outside our 22

England win the lineout but are pinged for obsruction trying to set up the maul. So we'v now not only lost control of territory (again) we've also coughed up possession (again). SA are barely having to work for this.

That penalty was nonsense though. I watched it back and there wasn't even a slight case for obstruction - simple ref error or Poite's got an understandable hump with Fazlet lecturing him.

Puja

[16th man]

Minute 24

It was one thing to step Billy, that Youngs was stepped too suggests he wasn't concentrating or just bottled tackling Vermuelen and gave it the old French 15 shrug suggesting he'd done his best when frankly not really even making an effort.

I've not watched this back, but live it looked to me that Billy was actually in a position to get back inside and make a tackle, but Youngs came pelting over so fast that he not only overshot the space he should have been covering but he blocked Billy off too. Comically poor.

[Digby]

Minute 24

It was one thing to step Billy, that Youngs was stepped too suggests he wasn't concentrating or just bottled tackling Vermuelen and gave it the old French 15 shrug suggesting he'd done his best when frankly not really even making an effort.

I've not watched this back, but live it looked to me that Billy was actually in a position to get back inside and make a tackle, but Youngs came pelting over so fast that he not only overshot the space he should have been covering but he blocked Billy off too. Comically poor.

Billy doesn't turn on a sixpence it'd be fair to say, but there's no need for Youngs to be running out of his channel, there's always time to drop in behind Billy and cover across if needs be and instead he just leaves a big hole were mere moments before we had a defender

[Digby]

Minute 28

Farrell does about as much as he can to draw WLR before passing to Daly running backwards alongside him, and this all started with us kicking away ball after 2 good carries.

Daly prods the ball down into the SA 22, but Faf is under no pressure and belts the ball out on the full from inside the 22. England lineout just outside our 22

England win the lineout but are pinged for obsruction trying to set up the maul. So we'v now not only lost control of territory (again) we've also coughed up possession (again). SA are barely having to work for this.

That penalty was nonsense though. I watched it back and there wasn't even a slight case for obstruction - simple ref error or Poite's got an understandable hump with Fazlet lecturing him.

Puja

It's not obvious what it's for certainly.

[Digby]

Minute 29

Pollard kicks the pen and SA close to 2 points

[Digby]

Minute 30

Ford restarts out to the left. Green 12 takes a catch under no pressure though SA are allowed to block for the fun it it . SA run a few phases, Faf kicks clear, Brown catches the ball and pops it back to Slade. None of which matters as we're heading back for a pen to SA for Mako being inspired to push Green 7's head into the ground, okay gently, but FFS

(Btw in the handbags that follows Sinckler has the ball and is walking around the far side from the ref and bops the ball on the head of Vermuelen simply to amuse himself, given the day Poite is having it's what Sir Humphrey might label a brave move by Kyle, there's less in it than Mako's effort, but still)