Rugby
John Goliath, Special to ESPN 6y

Springboks vs. England: Five takeaways from Bloemfontein

Rugby

Bloemfontein, South Africa -- The Springboks defeated England in another pulsating Test match, which the hosts won 23-12, albeit the action perhaps didn't ultimately match that at Ellis Park in Johannesburg the week before.

John Goliath assesses five points out of the action.

England tested the Springboks aerially

England kicked a lot more in the first three minutes of the second Test than they did in the first quarter at Ellis Park. They definitely wanted to put more pressure on the Springboks' rookies on the wings, who weren't asked to field a lot of high kicks in the first Test. It's a plan that had mixed success in Bloemfontein, but something the tourists should have explored more throughout this series.

Springboks' defence again caught on the outside

South Africa did well to keep England scoreless for the final 67 minutes of this Test, but there were again signs in the first 13 that the Boks aren't in synch on defence in the wider channels. The first quarter of this match felt like a repeat of hte fixture at Ellis Park, where Mike Brown and Johnny May scored on their respective wings after England's inside backs had found a lot of space. It's something the Boks will have to fix before the Rugby Championship.

There is life in the Beast but Steven Kitshoff is the future

Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira was magnificent during his 43-minute shift during the occasion of his 100th Test. He made a break in the first half that led to Duane Vermeulen's try, and was all over the park. However, Steven Kitshoff showed in the second half that he is ready to take over when the Sharks veteran eventually decides to call it a day. The redheaded loosehead prop came on and, in his first scrum of the game, helped the Springboks to get a penalty try. He also carried well and tackled everything that moved.

England ill-discipline cost them after trying to unsettle Boks

There were a few "handbags" during the match that may have been the result of England players trying to get under the skin of the Springboks and intimidate some of the youngsters in the team with off-the-ball shenanigans. Boks scrumhalf Faf de Klerk was one of the targets, but this tactic didn't quite work as the Boks also managed to physically impose themselves. The penalty count again cost England dearly.

England are becoming too predictable?

England cut South Africa to shreds in the first 13 minutes, but they didn't show enough creativity when the Springboks adjusted to the visitors' attacking focus in the wider channels. England looked threatening from broken play, as a couple of last-ditch tackles by the home team kept them at bay. However, their maul was largely ineffective over the two Tests, and their forwards ended up running into brick walls throughout the encounter.

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