South Africa power past England with seven-try Ellis Park win

South Africa beat England 45-21 at Ellis Park in the Nations Championship, scoring seven tries in a performance that quickly put the visitors under pressure. England reduced the deficit before half-time, but the Springboks regained control after the restart and finished well clear.

The hosts’ scoring came through Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Grant Williams, Jesse Kriel, Malcolm Marx and Ben-Jason Dixon, with Kolbe adding five conversions. England’s scoring summary listed tries for Jamie George, George Martin and Alex Coles, all converted by Fin Smith.

Discipline became a major part of the contest. Arendse was shown a yellow card in the first half, while England lost Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper to yellow cards in quick succession late on, damaging any chance of a final push.

The report also noted late disruption on both sides: England were without George Furbank because of appendicitis, while South Africa had Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi withdraw from the intended line-up after injuries earlier in the week. England’s campaign is scheduled to continue against Fiji in Liverpool on 11 July, followed by Argentina on 18 July.