Springboks shine bright, even after Du Toit red: 'There's nothing we haven't faced this year'

27.11.2022 - 16:27 news24.com

In LondonSpringbok captain Siya Kolisi said Thomas du Toit's red card was something they had always prepared for from a mental perspective after their 27-13 win against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

Du Toit was red-carded for a shoulder charge on Luke Cowan-Dickie's head in the 60th minute, but it didn't materially impact the Boks, who were leading 27-6 at that point.

They did concede a 72nd minute try through Henry Slade, but the Boks had shown more than enough control and tactical discipline to keep England at arm's length. MATCH REPORT | 14-man Boks smash Twickenham bogey with convincing England win Kolisi credited the coaching staff for ensuring they remained with eight forwards on the field, with Makazole Mapimpi coming off for Frans Malherbe, but added Du Toit's red card was territory they'd been in before.In the 30-26 loss against France in Marseille on 12 November, the Boks were down to 14 when Pieter-Steph du Toit was red-carded in the 11th minute, from where they trailed 13-0, but fought back to lead 26-22. "There's nothing we haven't faced this year.

We've had a red card before, so we prepared for it," Kolisi said. "I told the guys that nothing changes as we must keep on working hard for one another.

Rugby England Henry Slade Siya Kolisi Frans Malherbe London France

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In London

Eddie Jones defends credentials as England flop against Springboks

Eddie Jones defended his credentials after he watched England produce a rudderless display to end a difficult 2022 with a 27-13 loss to South Africa at Twickenham. Tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse and Eben Etzebeth either side of half-time helped the Springboks ease to a comfortable victory in west London with Faf de Klerk adding an 11-point haul while Damian Willemse kicked two drop goals. World champions South Africa finished with 14 men after Thomas du Toit's 61st-minute red card for a no arms tackle on Luke Cowan-Dickie but Henry Slade's late score was all England could muster during a drab finale to the Autumn Nations Series. It meant Jones' side suffered another defeat, their sixth from 12 Tests in the calendar year, which is their worst run since 2008. The Springboks' dominance across the pitch was reminiscent of their 2019 World Cup final triumph and, despite England going backwards since their runners-up showing in Japan, their Australian head coach insisted they could have a "really good go" at next year's tournament in France. "We want to win. We don't want to get beat by a big score to South Africa and don't want to have the worst record since 2008 so it is a problem but I accept full responsibility for that," Jones said. "Obviously on results we are not happy but I feel like we are building a really good base to have a really good go at the World Cup, a really good go. "A number of young players got great experience today and they'll come back better players for that. We've got other players coming back to form, some of our more senior players and we're not far away. "We need to develop consistently. Test match rugby is all about consistency."