Nienaber praises Boks after 'humdinger' at Twickenham: 'It was a bit too close'

In London

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber admitted they needed to get their rugby affairs in order to see off England's stern challenge at Twickenham on Saturday.

They did so through an emphatic 27-13 win, a success that broke a six-year losing spell at Twickenham and gave the Boks a satisfying end to a tour that promised a fair bit at the start, but only really delivered at the end.

What will be remembered is that the Boks recorded a 27th win against England in 45 Tests and did so in a comprehensive manner.

Nienaber admitted to being tense and concerned about how England fought back from 25-6 down to draw against the All Blacks last week.

MATCH REPORT | 14-man Boks smash Twickenham bogey with convincing England win

However, the Boks, with a calculated and shrewd defensive resilience, despite conceding a late Henry Slade try, ensured lightning wouldn't strike twice despite having Thomas du Toit sent off on the hour mark.

"It was a stern challenge and we needed to get our stuff right on the day," Nienaber said.

"I don't even know what the scoreline was, but it was a humdinger for me right up until the end. We all saw what England is capable of last week.

"They came back well last week and from a coaching box perspective, we knew they had the ability in them.

"You're never comfortable and we actually pushed hard to get territory and another score because we felt it was a bit too close."

The Test match took place outside of the international window, meaning the Boks were robbed of their European-based players.

This was something Nienaber was prepared for and to an extent, happy about as it presented an opportunity for depth testing in a high-pressured environment.

The Boks warhorses like Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth (who scored),