Best Boks v England: Steak And Sizzle

The Springboks activated beast mode to break an eight-year drought at Twickenham as they stormed to a 27-13 victory over England on Saturday, writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.

The world champions dominated up front and sizzled out wide to end the season on a high despite having to play the final quarter with 14 men after losing Thomas du Toit to a red card for a dangerous tackle.

Our top three Springbok standouts were:

Damian Willemse

In a big game, which would determine the overall success of South Africa’s 2022 season, on one of the most iconic and intimidating stages in world rugby, Willemse’s maturity and wizardry encapsulated the coming-of-age year he’s enjoyed.

The 24-year-old took pleasure in stunning the 82,000-capacity crowd into silence and did so with a beautiful balance of intelligence, masterful game management, and skill to land a drop goal in each half and prodigious attacking flair to spark a sensational try.

Damian Willemse at the double with the drop-goals 🎯🎯#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvRSA pic.twitter.com/ozqaIyldef

— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 26, 2022

The Springboks are a different animal with Willemse at No 10, another excellent example being when he caught England by surprise with a dangerous break from inside his 22, something you’d never see from the more tactically astute Handre Pollard, or Elton Jantjies.   

His composure, meanwhile, was further evident when he had to clear his line after being put under pressure by a last-minute pass on more than one occasion.

The Willemse of 2021 wouldn’t have been as calm and collected as he was in those situations and certainly wouldn’t have dared to channel his inner Jannie de Beer to keep the scoreboard ticking in such textbook fashion.

Kurt – Lee Arendse

The Springboks’ find of the season capped off his magnificent maiden international campaign with another electrifying performance.

His hot-stepping stunner was a thing of beauty and will leave a branding iron-like mark on the psyche of poor Marcus Smith, who was made to look silly by Arendse in full flight.

🇿🇦 He just cannot stop scoring!

Kurt-Lee Arendse is a superstar 🌟

What a try from the @Springboks 🔥#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvRSA pic.twitter.com/T75NhKJJoB

— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 26, 2022

What was the pint-sized finisher’s seventh try in as many Tests was a scorching highlight of a third consecutive complete performance by the 26-year-old, which saw him make an unrivalled 143 metres in eight carries and all six of his tackles, including a tremendous try-saving hit in the 64th minute.

Franco Mostert

Often an unsung hero, Mostert got his due as he was named Man of the Match after pouring his sweat and blood out on the Twickenham turf. If there was any lingering doubt over the regular lock’s utility forward credentials, he cemented himself as a dual dynamo with this stellar showing in the No 7 jersey.  

With his warrior spirit and endless gas task, he was a boogeyman that haunted England at every turn. He was unrelenting, damn-near superhuman as he grafted and grafted and grafted and had the same fervour in the last minute as he did in the first.

In addition to his loose forward output, his second-row strengths shone through as well. He showed exceptional athleticism to field a restart and put his hand up at a crucial time to steal a lineout on his 5m line directly after Du Toit had been sent off.