Here’s our England player ratings following their 12-11 win against South Africa at Twickenham.
15 Elliot Daly: The consummate footballer looked somehow uneasy at full-back in the opening exchanges but changed gear at half-time to put in a threatening performance as the game broke up. Perhaps needs to ‘pin his ears back’ and go for the break at times. 7/10
14 Jack Nowell: He appeared here, he popped up there, the Exeter popinjay is forever threatening but still, one wonders if he’s short of the outright gas needed to be a Test winger. 7/10
13 Henry Slade: Continued his fine club form at international level with a strong showing in defence and some sublime touches at the restart and in attack. A day for the outstanding Chief to savour. 8/10
12 Ben Te’o: With only 28 minutes of rugby behind him, Te’o came off second best in the initial battle of the inside centres, looking sluggish and off the pace. Like Daly, he blossomed as the game progressed with some big hits and assured passing. 6/10
11 Jonny May: He may as well come out wearing a tackle bag such was the ball he received in the first-half but held up well. 5/10
10 Owen Farrell (cc): A sluggish first-half, Farrell was another to improve as the game progressed. Pinpoint kicking punctuated with some lovely deep passes secured England’s win. 8/10
9 Ben Youngs: Despite not being at his best in attack, Youngs’ ability to harry the Bok half-backs’ connectivity was crucial and put immense pressure on their midfield. 7/10
8 Mark Wilson: Out of position and of callow international experience, the lightweight but combative Wilson put everything into his performance and showed himself to be a leader. An outstanding day for the Falcon and a fine addition to the depth of the England squad. 9/10
7 Tom Curry: A player singled out as a key cog in England’s breakdown plan, Curry harried and hustled for 45 minutes before his game came to a premature end. 6/10
6 Brad Shields: When the Wellingtonian came north, little did he suspect he’d spend more time in the second-row than his favoured back-row. Nevertheless, the blindside toiled hard and won some useful ball against a huge back-row, but will rue his dropped pass. 6/10
5 George Kruis: As the game progressed, so Kruis started to scale the heights of the form of 2016/17. His carries hurt South Africa and he ran the line-out well. 8/10
4 Maro Itoje: Almost man-marked by the referee and carded after 25 minutes, Itoje’s commitment was faultless but his technical game lacked at times. His freshness around the pitch was welcome and all in all, he emerged with credit. 6/10
3 Kyle Sinckler: The Big Sink was the heartbeat of England, galivanting around the park like a fourth back-row. A large tick goes against his name and England have a folk hero in the making. 8/10
2 Dylan Hartley (cc): A solid return to Test duty, Hartley led well and his set-piece was its reliable self. An assured performance from the now co-captain. 6/10
1 Alec Hepburn: Struggled a little in the tight but was excellent around the park in the first-half before being replaced by his clubmate at half-time. 5/10
Replacements:
16 Jamie George: It’s great to have a Test Lion on the bench and the rumbustious Saracen carried on where Hartley left off. 6/10
17 Ben Moon: Came on and added solidity in the set-piece and also a couple of cameos in his support running. 6/10
18 Harry Williams: Ran hard, ran direct, the big man added impact. 6/10
19 Charlie Ewels: Two minutes he’ll remember all his life. 5/10
20 Zach Mercer: As Curry limped off, so Mercer sprang into action. His athleticism added a lot to England in the last 20. 6/10
21 Danny Care: He defines impetus whenever he’s used as a ‘finisher’ and today was no exception. England have depth at nine. 6/10
22 George Ford: Almost cost England the game when he ran into contact and conceded a penalty late on. 4/10
23 Chris Ashton: One of the biggest cheers of the day when Ash the Splash returned to the shirt of England. A real plus to have such a proven player back in the squad. 6/10
by James While