South Africa once again asserted their dominance over England with a commanding victory at Ellis Park, with the outcome rarely in doubt across 80 bruising minutes.
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The Springboks blitzed into a 17-point lead inside the opening 11 minutes as England were left bewildered by the pace, power and cohesion of the hosts.
Powerful scores from Ellis Genge and George Martin just before half-time briefly ignited hope of an unlikely comeback.
But South Africa turned the screw after the break, crossing for another three tries to canter to a fourth successive victory over England as the visitors fell well short of the gold standard set by the double reigning world champions.
England’s Nations Championship campaign continues against Fiji at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool on 11 July before Steve Borthwick’s men head back to the southern hemisphere to face Argentina on 18 July.
Here are five England players who flopped at Ellis Park — and what Borthwick should do next.
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1. Tommy Freeman
Freeman was not helped by being deployed away from his usual position, where he has previously excelled for Northampton Saints and England.
The 25-year-old has all the physical attributes to be effective on the wing but continues to look less comfortable and less polished when used at outside centre.
He began poorly, conceding a penalty for not releasing inside the opening minute, and his overall display was uneven.
Freeman ended the match with a yellow card for shoulder-to-head contact with under ten minutes remaining, effectively ending England’s slim hopes of a comeback.
RugbyPass gave him a 4/10, writing: “Penalised moments into the match to give the Boks their platform to score their opening try, as England appeared totally shell-shocked.
“Linked nicely with Seb Atkinson in the midfield, and his ability to distribute following half breaks was often a source of attacking promise for England. His strong carry off a lineout gave England the momentum they needed for their second try.
“Shifted to the wing for the final 30 minutes, and while he looked more comfortable there, he was penalised for a high tackle on Damian Willemse, for which he was yellow carded.”
The Telegraph handed him the same rating, writing: “Costly yellow card for high tackle on Willemse. I will die on the hill that his considerable talents are wasted at centre.”
What Borthwick should do: Move him back to the wing.
