England lost their fifth consecutive match despite putting in their best effort during the autumn.

Even Marcus Smith’s impressive performance was not enough to stop Steve Borthwick’s team from experiencing another defeat at Allianz Stadium, as the Springboks demonstrated why they are the world champions.

Following Smith’s inspiration, Borthwick’s team matched their opponents in an exciting first half, scoring tries through Ollie Sleightholme and Sam Underhill. However, England’s defense continued to struggle, allowing four tries, including two to Cheslin Kolbe.

This brings their total tries conceded to 12 in three home matches. Rather than a strong defense, it seems more like an open door. Despite their hard work and determination on offense, unless the Red Rose team improves their defense to prevent easy points, they will likely face similar outcomes in the future.

The frustration was even worse because, similar to the game against Australia last week, England had a quick start. Smith had already made two exciting runs when he got the ball outside the Springbok 22, first stepping back as if to try a drop goal before changing his mind.

There was an opening, and Smith passed the ball perfectly to Henry Slade, who then passed to Sleightholme for a score, with the fly-half converting. England kept up the pressure, making strong tackles and gaining ground with the ball, while Rassie Erasmus’ team seemed unusually nervous.

If you make a mistake against the Boks, you will face consequences. England lost their focus when Smith was beaten in a jump 35 yards out, and Grant Williams, the scrum half, took advantage of the gap between Ellis Genge and George Martin.

Despite there being enough cover, Freddie Steward, known for his defensive skills, was unable to stop Williams from scoring under the posts, with Manie Libbok evening the score.

Although Smith put England back in the lead after South Africa committed a handling error in the ruck, both home half-backs were in trouble after the restart.
Smith tried to help out Jack van Poortvliet, the recalled No 9, when his kick was blocked by Eben Etzebeth.

However, Pieter-Steph du Toit knocked Smith’s clearance into the turf, allowing him to pounce on the loose ball and score. South Africa gained momentum while England struggled.

South Africa kicked for the corner and a brilliant cross-field kick from Libbok led to Kolbe scoring their third try. Despite England’s efforts, Underhill managed to reach out and score. Smith’s skills narrowed the gap and a missed penalty by Libbok made it a close game at halftime.

England got lucky at the beginning of the second half when winger Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try was disallowed due to a forward pass. Then, another similar decision was made by the TMO when Tommy Freeman caught Smith’s kick. England took advantage of the open field on the left side as Slade scored a try.

However, Maro Itoje was found to have grabbed Malcolm Marx around the neck during the clear-out, resulting in the disallowed try. Despite this, Smith managed to score a penalty for obstruction under the high ball shortly after, bringing the game back in England’s favor by just one point with less than thirty minutes remaining.

The lead did not last long, as Luke Cowan-Dickie, who came on for captain Jamie George, committed an infringement at half-way, allowing replacement stand-off Handre Pollard to score a penalty that bounced off and over the bar. Now, the focus shifted to the crucial final quarter, an area where England has often struggled.

Once more, they struggled, their usual defensive weaknesses proving costly. Slade and Ben Earl were unable to stop centre Damian de Allende, and then Sleightholme was easily beaten by Kolbe as he scored his second goal.

Pollard was accurate with his kicks from difficult angles. Steenekamp’s yellow card with 12 minutes left gave England an opportunity, but they were unable to take advantage. A mistake in the line-out led to a penalty, and their chances faded as they lost momentum at a crucial moment.