3. Marcus Smith (England)
Once again in our shortlist of the top five performers of the Allianz on-field action, Marcus Smith was as impressive as ever in his 80 minute effort. Not withdrawn this week, as George Ford remained on the bench, with the Harlequin looking irreplaceable as he commanded the England back-line. Earlier this week Siya Kolisi spoke about how Smith ‘makes things happen around him’, and the fly half certainly did that in the build up to Ollie Sleightholme’s early try.
Smith swept well in the kick-heavy contest, and managed to pick out the space in the Springbok back-field, and send some neat kicks into dangerous areas. Smith made full use of having the likes of Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman outside of him, and the Harlequin stubbed some chips into the back-field for his wings to chase. Smith once again had a strong day from the kicking tee, as he nailed an assortment of penalties and conversions, to keep his side’s scoreboard ticking over nicely.
Smith was solid in his ball distribution to the heavy hitting forwards, as he unleashed the likes of Sam Underhill into little pockets of space. Smith held firm in this hard-fought battle, as the South Africans flew at him with a high-pressing defensive line. The fly half shrugged off the late clattering with Aphelele Fassi, as his static strength left the fullback looking rather foolish as he picked himself up off the deck. Smith took a handful of heavy hits this afternoon, with the last shot from his South African namesake Kwagga Smith causing the Allianz faithful to wince at the missile like shot.
4. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa)
It was a close call between whether Pieter-Steph du Toit or Eben Etzebeth took this spot, as the two South African forwards through around their impressive frames with a significant impact. However, due to the litany of line-out penalties given away by Etzebeth in the latter stages, du Toit gets our nod, coupled with his pivotal try as the Springboks gained momentum.
The try began with Etzebeth’s charge down on Jack van Poortvliet’s box kick, with Smith frantically scrambled in defence to clear the ball. Du Toit be-lined down on the Harlequin and blocked the exit attempt, before reacting to the loose ball and diving in the in-goal area for an important five points. Du Toit was ever present in defence, with some clattering hits made on the likes of England’s heavy hitters Ollie Lawrence and Maro Itoje.
5. Tommy Freeman (England)
Rounding off out picks for the top five players this evening, Tommy Freeman had a storming game on the wing for England. There was the added anticipation of Freeman to shine under the high ball, with the Northampton Saints man showcasing his talents to rise high and claim the areal wins against the Springboks. Freeman was equally switched on when it came to nailing a player after catching the high ball, as he timed his hit on Fassi to perfection after the fullback gathered a kick at 30 minutes in.
This hit sent the Springbok into touch, with the force being so much that Fassi even spilt the ball in the collision. Freeman provided a second monstrous hit that sent Grant Williams to the deck, before Sam Underhill could muscle his way over the top of the breakdown and win a turnover. Freeman and Libbok would later engage in a brilliant foot-race, with the Saints man left infuriated after the ball bounced into touch off the back of the Springbok’s last touch.
The escort law came into fruition this evening, with Jesse Kriel penalised for stepping in the way of Freeman’s track down of a kick. The Saints man was amongst England’s best pursuers of the high ball, and the Springbok centre took a tactical foul to halt Freeman’s chase against the run of play. The penalty would prove to be worth while, as Smith sent the following kick clean through the uprights for a lead at the 50 minute mark.
ENGLAND: 20
Tries: 2 (Sleightholme 4′, Underhill 26′)
Conversions: 2 (Smith 4′, 26′,)
Penalties: 2 (Smith 15′, 52′)
Drop Goals: 0
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0
15. Freddie Steward 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Ollie Lawrence 12. Henry Slade 11. Ollie Sleightholme 10. Marcus Smith 9. Jack van Poortvliet 1. Ellis Genge 2. Jamie George 3. Will Stuart 4. Maro Itoje 5. George Martin 6. Chandler Cunningham-South 7. Sam Underhill 8. Ben Earl
Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie 17. Fin Baxter 18. Dan Cole 19. Nick Isiekwe 20. Alex Dombrandt 21. Harry Randall 22. George Ford 23. Tom Roebuck
SOUTH AFRICA: 29
Tries: 4 (Williams 12′, du Toit 18′, Kolbe 22′, 63′)
Conversions: 3 (Libbok 12′, 22′, Pollard 63′)
Penalties: 1 (Pollard 58′)
Drop Goals:
Yellow Cards: 1 (Steenekamp 68′)
Red Cards: 0
15. Aphelele Fassi 14. Cheslin Kolbe 13. Jesse Kriel 12. Damian de Allende 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse 10. Manie Libbok 9. Grant Williams 1. Ox Nche 2. Bongi Mbonambi 3. Wilco Louw 4. Eben Etzebeth 5. RG Snyman 6. Siya Kolisi 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit 8. Jasper Weise
Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx 17. Gerhard Steenekamp 18. Vincent Koch 19. Elrigh Louw 20. Kwagga Smith 21. Cobus Reinach 22. Handre Pollard 23. Lukhanyo Am
