Third Test, Port Elizabeth

South Africa v England – as it happened

England avoided a whitewash with a much improved display which earned Stuart Lancaster's side a 14-14 draw
Danny Care
Danny Care dives over for the first try in England's game with South Africa. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

Good afternoon. Hope is a funny thing. "I can take the despair. It's the hope I can't stand," John Cleese uttered in Clockwise while Michael Chabon wrote of lives "ruined again and again by hope". For 40 minutes last Saturday England were hopeless against a rampant South Africa.

Whether the second half fightback was a result of a vast England improvement, or merely because the Springbok boot was removed ever so slightly from the English throat we will never know. But suddenly, without the oppression of hope, England improved.

Stuart Lancaster's side go into today's third and final Test with arguably even less hope than they had at the interval last week. Sure, they will desperately want to avoid a series whitewash but injuries have cut this side deep and the chastening experience of the last few weeks has extinguished much of the hope that surrounded the side following the Six Nations.

So, for England there is no hope, no chance. Maybe it's just what they need. Here are the teams for today's game, which kicks off at 4pm BST.


Replacements: A Strauss, W Kruger, F van der Merwe, R Kankowski, R Pienaar, B Basson, E Jantjies.


Replacements: L Mears, P Doran Jones, M Botha, P Dowson, L Dickson, O Farrell, B Barritt.

Referee: S Walsh (Australia)

3.27pm: This is a brilliantly revealing stat from Robert Kitson's preview piece today and goes to show to full extent of how far England are being stretched physically and mentally:

"If Mouritz Botha appears as a replacement it will be the big man's 34th competitive game of the season, a huge number for a front-five forward. Research carried out by analysts in Cape Town suggests the optimum amount of game-time for a top-class player in a season is around 1,500 minutes, which equates to 19 full matches. Any more than that, reckon the experts, and consistency of performance starts to suffer."

3.49pm: What England will be desperate to avoid this afternoon is something like this.

3.56pm: The teams are coming out onto the pitch in Port Elizabeth. Pierre Spies trots out on his own ahead of his team-mates on what is his 50th appearance for South Africa.

3.58pm: Anthem watch: Sindi Nene, who it would seem is some sort of X Factor-style wannabe sings God Save the Queen while the South African equivalent of Robson and Jerome sing Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.

Peep!: Steve Walsh blows his whistle and Toby Flood kicks off, dropping the ball to the 22 where England put pressure on and a South African mistake means it will be and England scrum.

2 min: Tuilagi breaks through the gain line and as England recycle and Tom Palmer gains more ground there is an infringement and England have a penalty.

2 min: PENALTY! South Africa 0-3 ENGLAND. Toby Flood makes no mistake with a straightforward kick and it's an ideal start for England.

4 min: This is a really bright start from England and South Africa look off the pace. It's another penalty as Alex Goode targets Gio Aplon with an up and under but there is an offside and Flood will have another kick at goal. Or will he? Flood is getting treatment after a tackle with Steyn. he is going to attempt the kick ...

5 min: Penalty missed. It's a long way out and Flood's kick doesn't carry, falling short just to the right of the posts. Whether the knock he took a moment ago had any say in that I'm not so sure but he was still limping slightly as he approached the ball.

7 min:PENALTY! SOUTH AFRICA 3-3 England. And now Morne Steyn has a chance to level things after an offside is given following some brilliant aerial work from Bryan Habana who claimed an up-and-under while under pressure from Chris Ashton. Steyn was slightly out of sorts with his kicking last week but this time makes no mistakes and slots his kick between the sticks.

11 min: TRY! South Africa 3-8 ENGLAND. Danny care has crossed to score with some quick thinking to tap and penalty and barge through Jannie du Plessis and Eben Etzebeth and over the line. It all came from great work from Tom Palmer who charged down Morne Steyn's kick and England launched the attack. Toby Flood's conversion drifts just wide of the post. It's Flood's last action - that injury has ended his day - and Owen Farrell is on.

14 min: PENALTY! SOUTH AFRICA 6-8 England. South Africa respond well but there's a schoolboy error from Thomas Waldrom from the restart. It puts England on the back foot immediately and Tom palmer is penalised for not rolling away and More Steyn makes no mistake from under the posts. They are cheap points to give away from an English perspective.

17 min: Francois Hougaard shanks a kick into touch from Farrell's restart and England have a chance to build again in what, so far, has been an error-strewn game.

18 min: Farrell tries a drop at goal safe in the knowledge that England have a penalty advantage. It's just as well as it's miles wide. Jannie du Plessis is penalised but rather than go for goal, Farrell sticks it into the corner and England go for five points.

20 min: Farrell chips ahead but it's just too far for Ashton and the attack peters out as Gio Aplon gathers and tries to break. That was a poor decision from Farrell. "Does anyone else find charge downs the most infuriating thing in the world?" asks Phillip Wainwright. "Shockingly poor to have a kick charged down." I agree, though I imagine if you were to look at the entire world and everything in it you may well find at least one thing more infuriating than someone's kick of a rugby ball hitting against the hands of someone else.

22 min: Another penalty for South Africa but this time Morne Steyn's cross-hairs are askew and his kick drifts beyond the left-hand post.

24 min: Alex Goode is tested for the first time at full back with a high up-and-under but he's equal to it. Good catch. South Africa keep the pressure on but the England defence stands firm as Joseph brings down Pietersen and Joe Marler scavenges and England win a penalty and Owen Farrell boots for touch.

27 min: Phillip Wainwright's not going to be happy - Owen Farrell has a kick blocked by Danny Care is sharp and gathers the loose ball. Care is then caught in possession and driven back by a combination of Aplon and Kruger. South Africa turnover and England are penalised. More bad news for England: Owen Farrell has gone off with a blood injury - Brad Barritt is on which will cause a reshuffle among the backs.

28 min: PENALTY! SOUTH AFRICA 9-8 England. Morne Steyn makes no mistake. Again from an English point of view they are poor points to concede.

30 min: South Africa are showing signs of hitting their stride with Bismarck du Plessis spinning the ball wide to Habana who rides three or four England tackles. Pietersen is also finding gaps in the England rearguard. Some poor kicking from both sides materialises before Goode boots straight into touch. If last week's game was like 28 Days Later with rabid South African zombies devouring fresh English meat this week is little like Dumb and Dumber.

35 min: Alex Goode very nearly intercepts a long raking pass in midfield. Instead he commits himself, Jean de Villiers gathers ahead of him and exploits the space behind Goode. In the end they force a scrum which is worked beautifully on the loop but they are held just five metres from the England line.

37 min: It's chaotic now. The England defence holds firm and Etzebeth knocks on. The newly-returned Farrell boots upfield and Goode tears after it like a dog chasing a ball and Aplon has no option but to boot to touch on halfway.

39 min: Tom Palmer is filling the Charlie Hodgson charge down role very nicely. Again he blocks a Morne Steyn kick but there is an illegal approach in the aftermath and South Africa have a penalty.

Half time: South Africa 9-8 England. The players trudge off and England can be reasonably pleased with their first half display. Stuart Lancaster will feel that six of the points they conceded were preventable - and there were signs in the final ten minutes that their tight resistance was bursting at the seams - but all in all England are still very much in the game.

Peep!: We're underway in the second half, somewhat abruptly as Sky Sports return while the ball is in mid-air following Morne Steyn's restart.

42 min: Lovely kick from Morne Steyn following a box-kick from danny Care which went awry. Goode scampers back and gathers Steyn's kicks right in the corner. Alex Goode has played really well on his first start at full back.

44 min: PENALTY! South Africa 9-11 ENGLAND. What a hit from Chris Ashton on Gio Aplon who was standing under a near-perfect Owen Farrell up and under. It leads to a penalty for England and Farrell has a chance to put England back in the lead. He makes no mistake - it's a simple enough kick from the right of the posts - but it was Ashton's tackle that made it possible.

49 min: Dan Cole joins a ruck from the side and is penalised. Steyn decides not to go for goal - instead finding touch - but English indiscretion from the resulting lineout means Steyn will get an attempt to add another three points from closer range. Bismarck du Plessis and Dylan Hartley have a little scuffle on the ground like a couple of toddlers in a cot. Albeit a couple of very big, very hairy toddlers.

50 min: What is going on with Morne Steyn? He misses what, by his usual standards, is a straightforward three points. It stays South Africa 9-11 England.

52 min: Yellow card for the England captain Dylan Hartley. The Australian referee Steve Walsh says he is repeatedly trying to kill the ball and slow the game down - he's right. That's a big decision and these are a big 10 minutes for England. Tom Palmer takes over the captaincy duties.

55 min: Lee Mears comes on for Tom Johnson as Lancaster looks to beef-up the England pack while they are a man down.

57 min: England have the ball - or at least they did until a combination of Kruger and Kankowski leaves Thomas Waldron on the ground with a huge hit. England keep going until Goode knocks on as he attempts to collect a pass in midfield.

60 min: South Africa are making some really silly mistakes here which are all helping England ride out this period with 14-men, They do so as Dylan Hartley returns but South Africa re pushing for the line ...

61 min: TRY! SOUTH AFRICA 14-11 England. As soon as they are back to 15 England concede and they just couldn't hold the Spingboks at bay any longer. First Aplon went down the blind side, before Ruan Pienaar looped a pass to JP Petersen who powered over in the corner. Morne Steyn can't convert from the touchline so England are very much still in this but all the momentum is with South Africa.

65 min: It's a kicking contest at the minute as Farrell, Habana, Goode and Pietersen exchange thumps upfield. Pietersen's slippery fingers bring an end to the aerial bombardment as he knocks on and England have a scrum just inside the South Africa half.

69 min: Ashton scurries forward - he's not held by the South African defence and scampers forward like a child climbing under a fence. Foden and Dowson are held up on the 22. Do England have the penetration or the inspiration to break through? Tuilagi goes over the top and gains ground but England are still held. Eventually the scrum is awarded to England.

72 min: England have the penalty advantage as Care goes for the line. Haskell then makes a push but he too is held. Care's pass is intercepted by Steyn and England have the penalty and a chance to level the scores.

72 min: PENALTY! South Africa 14-14 ENGLAND. Farrell knocks over from under the posts and we're all square. This is so tight, much better from England, but twice the Boks have had hands on the ball and play's gone on, where we seem to be pinged every time," says Guy Hirnsby. "It's frustrating. But we just need that break. And you have to rue the missed two kicks in the start of the game. Those five points could be crucial."

73 min: Well done Thomas Waldrom to take a high kick under pressure from Aplon. Foden then takes the mark from a Steyn kick which the crowd don't like. Amazingly Foden slices his kick clear and England are back under pressure.

75 min: Morne Steyn misses a drop goal attempt. And the Port Elizabeth crowd are really on his back now. I'm not sure he needed to go for that. His confidence is shot. This is his home crowd and they're booing him. Extraordinary.

77 min: Thomas Waldrom is driven back over his 22 - Danny Care boots for touch but that could be very costly. Care thought Waldrom claimed inside the 22. South Africa are trying to work another drop goal attempt. Given Steyn's form they might as well forget it. But South Africa are penalised and England have a penalty. Great work from Marler. Own Farrell boots upfield and England may as well go for this now.

80 min: The prison siren that signifies that time is up has sounded. England still have the ball. It's too far out for a drop goal attempt.

80 min: Tuilagi gains ground the ball is flipped back to Farrell who shapes to hit the drop goal but instead runs through two or three tackles. He goes for it on the second occasion but gets it all so very wrong and that is that.

Full time: South Africa 14-14 England. Well the whitewash has been avoided and it was a much improved display from Stuart Lancaster's side. There is a sense of disappointment from the England players at the final whistle, not only because of Farrell's poor drop goal attempt but because they know that that game could have been won if they had been that little bit more ruthless and cut out those simple errors. When the dust settles, however, they will be happy with how they contained South Africa's power play and restricted their openings. That's it from me. Thanks for your emails. South Africa win the series 2-0. Bye.

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