England
15) Freddie Steward Picked for his “super strength” under the high ball and showed why during aerial ding-dong. Is still looking for Williams though. 7/10
14) Tommy Freeman Effective in the kicking contest but not really in many other areas which has been the tale of his month to date. Needs to involve himself more. 5
13) Ollie Lawrence Made a few dents in the South Africa defence in the opening stages but on the whole got very little change out of De Allende or Kriel. 6
12) Henry Slade Delicate pass to release Sleightholme. As defensive leader, England weren’t perfect again but were improved. Off after head collision that George was not happy about. 6
11) Ollie Sleightholme Did not take long to score again on his first start – he is clearly a fine finisher – but Kolbe will give him a few sleepless nights. 7
10) Marcus Smith Shaped for a drop goal before darting away to tee up first try, picking up from where he left off, but charge down seemed to unnerve him. 7
9) Jack van Poortvliet Tormented by Etzebeth, charged down twice and always under pressure. Kicking was, on the whole, decent but one to forget. 5
1) Ellis Genge Hasn’t had the best autumn all in all and came off second best. Carries hard though and always offers himself. 5
2) Jamie George Got through 11 tackles during his 50 minutes and whatever he said to his side beforehand clearly worked. Would he start if he wasn’t captain though? 6
3) Will Stuart Gave away a couple of penalties but got one back at scrum time. Given the opposition he faced this autumn he hasn’t let anyone down. 6
4) Maro Itoje Twice thundered back in contact – the Springboks clearly targeted him – and try as he might he could not reverse the tide in the final quarter. 6
5) George Martin A bit more conspicuous this week but nowhere near as much as he was in the World Cup semi-final last year. Not the breakout autumn he would have hoped for. 6
6) Chandler Cunningham-South Missed three first-half tackles, making just one. His lineout work has improved but those barnstorming carries were a rarity. 5
7) Sam Underhill Kolisi singled him out beforehand and it was easy to see why. England don’t lack for depth in his position but they are a better side when he is on the field. 9
8) Ben Earl Cut in half by Kolisi early on but footwork had more of an impact this week and came up with an important turnover but missed important tackle on De Allende. 6
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie (for George 49) Played well until lineout mishap 6; Fin Baxter (for Genge 64) 6; Dan Cole (for Stuart 59) 5; Nick Isiekwe (for Martin 75) n/a; Alex Dombrandt (for Underhill 67) Nope 5; Harry Randall (for Van Poortvliet 61) Couldn’t command control 5.
South Africa
15) Aphelele Fassi Not a great afternoon under the high ball but made an important tackle on Smith. Not much chance to showcase his counterattacking. 7
14) Cheslin Kolbe You’d put the house on him finishing his first try. The garage on his second. So springy which makes him so effective in the air. World class. 9
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13) Jesse Kriel Pinged for escorting but made huge tackle on Lawrence just as England were threatening in the final 10 minutes. So solid. 8
12) Damian de Allende Had been quiet until he slipped the shackles and fed Kolbe on the right wing. Like Kriel he is uber consistent in these big matches. 8
11) Kurt-Lee Arendse Big tackle on Lawrence in the first half and gets up so high to compete for the ball. Denied try for a marginal forward pass. 7
10) Manie Libbok A shaky start, having been trusted with the No 10 jersey. Up and under went backwards but nice kick-pass to Kolbe. A mixed bag. 6
9) Grant Williams A live wire. Stunning try to get South Africa up and running and kept finding gaps to squeeze through. England were relieved to see the back of him. 8
1) Ox Nche South Africa were on top at scrum-time while he was on the pitch, if not dominant, but replaced due to injury after half an hour. 6
2) Bongi Mbonambi Probably expected a rough ride. England tested his lineout throwing but he held firm and was always a willing carrier into heavy traffic. 7
3) Wilco Louw Became the 50th player used by the Springboks this year which is a remarkable stat. Justified selection though with scrum penalties won inside own 22. 8
4) Eben Etzebeth So impressive in the air and consistently rattled England, in particular Van Poortvliet. Borderline legal at times but that’s what makes him so effective. 8
5) RG Snyman An enormous human so perhaps it isn’t surprising he is so effective on a rugby field. A menace throughout. 9
6) Siya Kolisi Set the tone for his side with huge hit on Earl early on but struggled to get the Boks on the right side of the referee. 7
7) Pieter-Steph du Toit Typically all action from the relentless flanker. Charge-down try was reward for his work ethic. He just doesn’t stop. 9
8) Jasper Wiese So hard to put down when carrying the fight to England, giving the Springboks hard but crucial yards. 8
Replacements: Malcolm Marx (for Mbonambi 46) Such a weapon to have on the bench 7; Gerhard Steenekamp (for Nche 33) Sent to sin-bin for collective indiscipline 6; Vincent Koch (for Louw 42) Made a big impact 7; Elrigh Louw (for Etzebeth 67) Some hard grafter 6; Kwagga Smith (for Wiese 50) South Africa’s super sub 7; Cobus Reinach (for Williams 60) Valuable experience 7; Handrè Pollard (for Libbok 46) Settled his side down 8; Lukhanyo Am (for De Allende 69) 7.
