England v South Africa reaction

Sunday November 21 2004
'England's rugby machine is starting to go through the gears again'

Journalists in England and South Africa have left anybody still wondering what happened in no doubt as to just how big a difference there was between the two sides at Twickenham yesterday. England are being lauded as World Champions again, South Africa pinned down and ruthlessly dissected.

"It is difficult to find too much wrong with this. England were imaginative, efficient, pacy, uncompromising and composed in coasting towards their sixth successive win over South Africa.

"For a side only into the second game of a long road to France 2007 and the defence of the World Cup it was very, very uplifting. It was England's composure that perhaps was the most surprising.

"Huge credit must go to Andy Robinson and his coaching team for England's resurgence because there is no doubt that his side are taking more energy and a bigger bag of tricks on to the pitch than they have done for a while.

"What of South Africa? To call them rubbish is to understate their problems. The flair they showed in winning the Tri-Nations has deserted them since they arrived in Europe.

"Here they have reverted to type, big men trying to run through tackles and against a defence as organised and as aggressive as England's they failed big-time.

- Paul Ackford, Sunday Telegraph (UK)

"It is too early to say the wounds have completely healed, but a year on from being on top of the world, followed by a dispiriting tumble, England's rugby machine is starting to go through the gears again."

- Kevin Mitchell, The Observer (UK)

"South Africa's worst display of the year, England's best since the World Cup final. There wasn't so much as a pitch length's difference between these two teams at Twickenham on Saturday, as that of an entire street."

- Peter Bills, Independent Newspapers (SA)

"In boxing parlance, the Boks seem to be out on their feet, both physically and psychologically. Their bubble seems to have burst - if, indeed, there was one in the first place.

"The defiance and mongrel hunger for a fight that was the hallmark of their Tri-Nations campaign is eerily absent."

- Mike Greenaway, Cape Argus, (SA)

"One or two of the Springbok stars were locked out of the game, while Schalk Burger was a bundle of energy but mostly ill-directed.

"While he was fussing and fretting, the thunderous power of Worsley in the tackle and of Corry on the burst was knocking seven bells out of his teammates. The final South African score really upset the relevance of the scoreboard to the events of the afternoon."

- Stephen Jones, Sunday Times (UK)

"This was failure with a capital F.

"The Springboks had every chance of beating England, but blew it after producing a shambolic performance that was a world away from their form earlier in the year.

"If anything, they have gone backwards at a rate of knots. This tour is now utterly beyond redemption and whatever happens against Scotland next week and Argentina a week hence doesnt matter."

- Clinton Van Der Berg, Sunday Times (SA)