TWICKENHAM - South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus paid tribute to the skill and composure of Cheslin Kolbe after the wing scored two tries in the world champions' 29-20 win over England at Twickenham on Saturday.
Kolbe was rested from the Springboks' 32-15 defeat of Scotland at Murrayfield last weekend but returned as one of 12 changes to the starting 15 -- including an entirely revamped back division.
But there were few signs of any rust as Kolbe side-stepped England full-back Freddie Steward in the 22nd minute before finishing off a fine handling move when beating Ollie Sleightholme 17 minutes from time to help give South Africa the cushion of a nine-point lead.
The diminutive 31-year-old has now scored an impressive 18 tries in 39 Tests, including a superb effort in the Springboks' 2019 World Cup final win over England.
"Cheslin is a special player but it doesn't go to his head. There isn't a title he hasn't won, I think, but he's always stayed grounded," Erasmus told reporters on Saturday.
"One can't praise him enough. It's not just the glamorous things he does, it's the off-the-ball stuff as well," he added ahead of South Africa's year-ending clash against a struggling Wales in Cardiff next weekend.
This was the first time South Africa had faced England since a tense 16-15 semi-final success on their way to winning back-to-backs World Cups in France last year.
- 'Competitive as hell' -
The Springboks outscored England four tries to two on Saturday, with scrum-half Grant Williams and flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit going over in the first half.
Erasmus, however, insisted: "The score didn't reflect how close the game was. It was competitive as hell."
Yet for England this was still a fifth straight loss -- their worst sequence of results since 2018.
It also meant England, following Twickenham defeats by New Zealand and Australia earlier this month, had lost three in a row at home for the first time since 2006.
England coach Steve Borthwick's overall win rate has now dropped below 50 percent but the former Red Rose captain was adamant he retained the backing of his employers at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
"The feeling I get from the RFU is one of absolute support and absolute belief that this team is going in the right direction," said Borthwick.
"I feel the frustration of the players, the disappointment of the supporters. We've put ourselves in a position to win the games but not converted those positions. These are challenging days right now and it's painful."
England have never lost to Japan and will, despite this month's reverses, be firm favourites when they face the Cherry Blossoms at Twickenham a week on Sunday in their last game of 2024.
"I'm very confident we are on the right path," said Borthwick ahead of a match against a Japan team coached by his England predecessor and mentor Eddie Jones.
"We want things to happen now. It's not happened now. We aim to put in a better performance against Japan when we're back here next Sunday."
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By Julian Guyer
AFP