England steal a precious victory
Last half-hour fightback earns Robinson his prize
England fought back from 6-18 down to beat South Africa 23-21 at Twickenham on Saturday, bringing to an end the worst run of defeats for over thirty years, but increasing the clouds above Jake White's office.
The prologue of this fascinating encounter tells of two coaches feeling the strains and pressures of underachieving at the top end of professional sport. But the game itself was a stark contrast as both sides looked to attack with intent and play a brand of rugby not befitting of their relative situations.
For England there was the looming tag of "worst ever England team" as they starred down the barrel of a record eighth straight defeat. They almost met that bullet head on but for a rousing display in the final twenty minutes where they turned an eight point deficit into a two point victory.
The Springboks were left in tatters last week after Ireland's historic performance in Dublin, not that you would have even recognised some of those players this week such was the transformation. The defence went from virtually non-existent last week to virtually perfect this week, led by Jean de Villiers who tackled England to a standstill at times.
For all but one passage of the game it looked as if South Africa would repel anything the English threw at them, that was until Phil Vickery squeezed over after an his fellow forwards delivered an intense battering of the Springboks tight defence for fourteen phases.
England's first try only came about due to a sheer weight of numbers, with Jean de Villiers kicking his heels in the sin bin. Even then Butch James did his best to prevent it with a thunderous hit on Peter Richards, and Andy Goode did his best to butcher it as he dropped the ball backwards diving for the line.
Jake White will surely come in for yet further criticism for his tactical change going into the final quarter - the outstanding Butch James off and André Pretorius on. The replacement lacked the all-round game James possessed and used masterly.
James's reputation revolves around his huge hits and physical presence in defence, a rare commodity for a fly-half these days. However it was his deft touches, astute kicking and clever support play that he will be remembered for today. Although there was a healthy smattering of bone-crunching hits that rocked England players to their core throughout the sixty minutes he was on for.
The question every South African, and come to think of it most neutral spectators, will be asking then is why did White take him off at such a critical stage in the game. South Africa had just stretched their lead to eight points thanks to a James penalty with twenty minutes to go and England looked on the ropes.
Pretorius kicked well to his credit but it ensured South Africa gradually slipped into a defensive mind set, not the smartest thing to do against an England team with nothing to lose.
Sensing the shift Robinson made a triple substitution, maybe the best thing he has done in the last three weeks and it just may save his job. That is if his fate has not already been decided.
It was the injection of life that Chris Jones, Lewis Moody and Lee Mears injected into the game that sparked England into life. Moody showed his usual disregard for his own body and wellbeing as he flung himself at anything and everything, Jones offered an extra dimension in the loose and Mears was tireless in attack and defence.
So to the rugby, and what rugby it was at times, epitomised by two stunning tries from the Springboks. England played their part as well albeit through a more traditional approach of forward muscle and power but boy was it effective.
England took the lead as early as the opening minute when Charlie Hodgson, booed off last week and stretchered off this week, slotted a superb touchline penalty. Corry, under pressure and seeking to inspire his troops, then gifted South Africa three points back for a late and dangerous tackle on Butch James, an offence he was extremely lucky not to be sin-binned for.
Having retaken the lead again through another superb Hodgson penalty England could only stand in awe as Francois Steyn sent over a monstrous fifty-metre drop-goal. Steyn, the youngest Springbok in seventy-three years has already earned a reputation for his ability with the boot, so it was somewhat of a mystery that Ben Cohen kicked the ball straight down his throat.
Then came one of the those defining moments that seemed to change the course of the game for a long period. Having been on the end of a try-saving tackle from Lewsey earlier in the half, and with the line at his mercy, Jean de Villiers smashed Lewsey backwards at a rate of knots.
The tackle came at a time when England seemed to be taking an upper hand and were looking dangerous. Not only did De Villiers's tackle halt a promising England move it also took away their self-belief and field position quite literally. The rest of the half was played on South African terms and in England's half.
The pressure told on England and South Africa struck a hammer blow as half-time approached. Another wayward kick from England left them in disarray and again it was de Villiers who summed up a magic moment. Having surged down the touchline deep into England's twenty-two it seemed as if Lewsey would hit him into touch, which is precisely what he did. But at the moment of impact De Villiers slipped a sublime inside pass to Butch James to dive over in the corner.
James brushed himself down before stepping up to send over a peachy conversion, sending England trooping off the pitch at half time looking like a desperate side.
Matters only worsened after the break as James, seeing Lewsey was out of position, slid a clever grubber in behind the England defence. The ball bounced up perfectly for the on-rushing Akona Ndungane who sailed over for his first international try. The lasting memory of this try will not be the celebrations from the Springboks rather the deject figure of Corry who stood on his own with a look of resignation on his face.
Then came England's first try, the one that gave them the belief they could claw they way back into the game a salvage a desperately needed victory. With De Villiers in the sin-bin, England exploited the superior numbers, despite Andy Goode's best efforts, for Mark Cueto to score the easiest try of his career.
James added a further three points for South Africa, his last act and South Africa's last scoring act. After that England took control of the game inspired by their replacements and the rampaging Phil Vickery and slowly South Africa faded away.
England spoke of finding a performance in the build up to the game, and from that would stem the result. The performance was not always there, as for large parts they were outplayed, but there was a dogged determination to England and they clung on for dear life and when the performance did come late on they were able to strike.
The result, you could argue, stemmed from two tactical changes, one from White which was mystifying and one from Robinson that was a last effort to change the pattern of play. Those two decisions could ultimately decide the fate of both coaches, only time will tell now.
If Andy Robinson does remain in charge of England he will have one man to thank more than any other: Josh Lewsey. It was Lewsey's last ditch defence in the first half that kept England in touch as South Africa ripped the soft underbelly of England's midfield open time and again only to find a rock solid back bone at full back.
There were so many intriguing chapters to this encounter, and each played its part in the story that unfolded before us. Take the game as it was, without all the subplots concerning coaches and politics, and it was a classic hard-fought encounter. It just so happens that those subplots make the result that bit more significant and vital to England.
Depending what happens next week the epilogue could well tell of how Jake White ultimately cost himself his job with a strange substitution just as South Africa seemed to be heading for victory. The pressure is mounting and this may just be one defeat too many for White.
Man of the Match: Where does one start after such a game? For England Josh Lewsey was back to his best and back in his best position. Tom Palmer was a beacon in the pack and started with a bang but did fade slightly. Phil Vickery added the much-needed leadership and power England lacked without him on the field and Peter Richards ensured England kept ticking over. For South Africa, Butch James was outstanding, mixing his game superbly without forgetting his defensive duties he loves so much. Francois Steyn showed moments of class that defied his tender age of just nineteen. But for us the standout player on the field was Jean de Villiers, a man who didn't deserve to lose. He tackled with aggression and force, constantly sending England backwards, and then there was that sublime pass that created the try for Butch James.
Moment of the Match: There were many moments that you can look at and say that was the key factor, but we have settled on two. Firstly that Jean de Villiers tackle on Lewsey and perhaps the most significant, the two tactical changes, one from White and the triple substitution by Andy Robinson.
Villain of the Match: The only ugly moment in an otherwise clean game was Martin Corry's late forearm smash to Butch James that went unnoticed but the officials. It is ironic that a similar offence by Jannes Labuschagne three years ago cost him a red card where as Corry walked free.
The scorers:
For England:
Tries: Cueto, Vickery
Cons: Goode 2
Pens: Hodgson 2, Goode
For South Africa:
Tries: James, Ndungane
Con: James
Pens: James 2
Drop goal: Steyn
Teams:
England: 15 Josh Lewsey, 14 Mark Cueto, 13 Matthew Tait, 12 Jamie Noon, 11 Ben Cohen, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Peter Richards, 8 Martin Corry (captain), 7 Pat Sanderson, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Julian White, 2 George Chuter, 1 Andrew Sheridan
Replacements: 16 Lee Mears, 17 Phil Vickery, 18 Chris Jones, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Shaun Perry, 21 Andy Goode, 22 Toby Flood.
South Africa: 15 Francois Steyn, 14 Akona Ndungane, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Enrico Januarie, 8 Jacques Cronjé, 7 Pierre Spies, 6 Danie Rossouw, 5 Johann Muller, 4 Johan Ackermann, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 CJ van der Linde.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Deon Carstens, 18 Albert van den Berg, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Ruan Pienaar, 21 André Pretorius, 22 Bevin Fortuin.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Nigel Whitehouse (Wales), Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)
Television match official: David Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor: Patrick Robin (France)
By Marcus Leach