SA
No.Name
1Tendai Mtawarira, P
8Duane Vermeulen, -
6Siya Kolisi, FL
2Bongi Mbonambi, H
5Franco Mostert, L
9Faf de Klerk, SH
T
3Wilco Louw, P
7Jean-Luc du Preez, FL
4RG Snyman, L
15Willie Le Roux, FB
T
14Sbu Nkosi, W
T
2
14Sbu Nkosi, W
13Lukhanyo Am, C
12Damian de Allende, C
11Aphiwe Dyantyi, W
T
Replacements
10Handre Pollard, FH
4
3
16Akker van der Merwe, -
17Steven Kitshoff, -
18Thomas du Toit, -
19Pieter-Steph du Toit, -
20Sikhumbuzo Notshe, -
21Ivan van Zyl, -
22Elton Jantjies, -
23Warrick Gelant, -

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Emirates Airline Park
10:05 PM, June 8, 2018
Attendance: 55,610
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'+142-39 End of second half
80'So South Africa take a 1-0 lead into next week's Test match in Bloemfontein, which you can follow live here with ESPN.

Stay with us for all the reaction, including John Goliath's verdict from Ellis Park.
80'Big win! South Africa steal the ball at the England lineout. One final insult for this England team who could barely do anything right in the final hour of the match. It's booted into touch, Rassie Erasmus has a victory and the Siya Kolisi era as captain begins with a remarkable, astonishing, turbulent, captivating victory. That was spell-binding stuff in so many ways, and absolutely staggering in so many other ways!
80'England building from deep. Piers Francis tackled but wins a penalty. This will go deep from Daly's boot. Ten metres inside the Springboks half. Ellis Park is hushed. They realise this match isn't won after all. The party atmosphere has been put on ice.
79'South Africa piling in on Henry Slade who has had to scramble in defence on his own line. Can England get out from there in the final 90 seconds?
78'Well - Jonny May somehow scores a remarkable try from his own half! How has he done that!?! Incredible stuff. Sheer speed from the winger and some tremendous angles on his cuts and that's a blinding try. Farrell kicks quickly, England trail by three. Goodness, what a match.
78'42-39 Conversion - Owen Farrell , England
78'42-37 Try - Jonny May , England
77'England have given up over 100 points combined in their last two matches, against the Barbarians at Twickenham in the last weekend of May and now today. The scoring might not be done here either.
76'Pollard has missed twice this half. This one is from 46 metres, dead centre. It's a good connection and straight over the posts. Rassie Erasmus is in sight of victory, Eddie Jones is looking straight at yet another defeat. How the worm has turned for England, both in this game and in the Jones era.
76'Substitute on - Ben Spencer , England
76'Player substituted - Ben Youngs , England
76'Substitute on - Joe Marler , England
76'Player substituted - Mako Vunipola , England
76'Substitute on - Piers Francis , England
76'Player substituted - George Ford , England
76'Player substituted - Mike Brown , England
76'Substitute on - Denny Solomona , England
76'42-32 Penalty goal - Handre Pollard , South Africa
76'Substitute on - Elton Jantjies , South Africa
76'Player substituted - Aphiwe Dyantyi , South Africa
75'England trying to push foward. They're still in their own half though. Ford burrowing forward. Robshaw takes it on. And he doesn't release! Penalty South Africa and Ellis Park recognises what's just happened -- Pollard will have a shot at three points that will all but win the match.
74'England on the Springbok 22 but there's a big knock-on and South Africa counter. Spectacularly. Goodness they are lightning quick with ball in hand, with Nkosi central to it all again. They are halted eventually but that was thrilling stuff.
73'Faf de Klerk goes off. Ellis Park rises. There's your man of the match. Surely.
73'Substitute on - Ivan van Zyl , South Africa
73'Player substituted - Faf de Klerk , South Africa
72'Vermeulen makes an eye-popping grab of an up-and-under, but he lands in touch and England get things moving quickly. An exchange of kicks and Daly has judged the last one well, to put South Africa in their own 22. Lineout time.
71'Player substituted - Siya Kolisi , South Africa
71'Substitute on - Sikhumbuzo Notshe , South Africa
70'Conversion attempt from Farrell -- he hoiks it wide! That was a shank, plain and simple. What a crucial miss that could be. The gap stays at seven. Even the England captain is wilting in the Ellis Park night time.
70'39-32 Try - Maro Itoje , England
69'Lineout for England at the five metre line. They're pushed back though. Brad Shields tries to progress. Youngs will pass wide to Hughes. He's stopped. Cowan-Dickie trying to make ground. Van der Merwe pinged for offside. Advantage England. Wide to Ford, he's almost through but no, he's stopped three metres out. Another surge for the line, and eventually Maro Itoje reaches up and over to dot down for the try! Great finish for his first international try!
68'Penalty for England. They're going to think this over. Nope, Farrell is going to kick for touch. A penalty wouldn't have been all that much of a bonus at this stage -- they need tries.
67'
66'Substitute on - Nathan Hughes , England
66'Player substituted - Tom Curry , England
66'39-27 Conversion - Handre Pollard , South Africa
65'Conversion goes over. It's a 12-point lead now, and England haven't had a moment to be even slightly encouraged by in this second half. They're basically 36-3 down since the 19th minute.
64'South Africa are making England play for Mako's indiscipline. TRY! Aphiwe Dyantyi scores on his debut. Great ship from Snyman who was basically in himself, but Dyantyi needs two attempts to snaffle the pass in the air before emphatically touching down. England have been busted.
64'37-27 Try - Aphiwe Dyantyi , South Africa
64'Substitute on - Warrick Gelant , South Africa
64'Player substituted - Willie Le Roux , South Africa
64'Substitute on - Luke Cowan-Dickie , England
64'Player substituted - Jamie George , England
63'Yellow card for Mako Vunipola. He is penalised for a late challenge and he is not impressed. Not the way to mark his 50th cap -- with his first ever yellow card. Big 10 minutes ahead -- this is basically the match, right here, right now.
63'Yellow card - Mako Vunipola , England
61'Tom Curry, who has been pretty quiet at flanker for England, makes a great run from deep, skipping past a couple of would-be tacklers. But the attack peters out and guess who? Faf de Klerk. He smothers Chris Robshaw then pounces out of nowhere on top of Henry Slade, who was the makeshift scrum-half at the ruck. Outstanding stuff. His flowing blonde mane has been everywhere in this match.
61'
60'Nice play along the back line by South Africa but Dyantyi knocks on in contact on the edge of the 22. Scrum England. Willie Le Roux receiving treatment and this might be a hamstring strain for the fullback - he reached for his leg earlier when trotting back to cover Daly's too-far kick.
59'Knock on by South Africa as they look to put more pressure on England. And England punt it straight out the back of the dead ball area - Elliot Daly's thumping kick working against him this time. Jeers go up from the Ellis Park crowd. England have done virtually nothing right in this second half, but they still only trail by five points.
58'South Africa have the ball but they are going backwards due to loose passes. The referee seems to have given up on that particular, sloppy passage of play. It will be a scrum for South Africa.
58'Substitute on - Harry Williams , England
58'Player substituted - Kyle Sinckler , England
58'Substitute on - Akker van der Merwe , South Africa
58'Player substituted - Bongi Mbonambi , South Africa
57'Pollard with a thumping kick - off the upright! It hits the left stick and comes back into play. A let-off for England, but they are still under pressure deep in their own territory. That wasn't a difficult kick for Pollard, who has missed twice now in this second half. That could yet prove crucial.
56'Another big win for the Springboks scrum, who have turned England over on their own put-in and forced a penalty for illegal pushing. England are reeling, the Springboks are rocking!
55'South Africa try to break forward again from the scrum but an ambitious pass from Dyantyi flies straight into touch. England need to get something going, and they also need to close in on De Klerk and Le Roux who have been outstanding with ball in hand.
53'Deep kick and Daly is smothered as he tries to take it in and return with interest. Dyantyi is the man who got their first but he was not alone. Accidental offside against England, as Ford kicks it into his own man. Sums up their last 25 minutes of match action, really.
52'It sneaks through the posts, towards the right stick, and Pollard puts South Africa five points to the good. England have made no inroads at all so far in this second half.
52'32-27 Penalty goal - Handre Pollard , South Africa
51'England still cannot get out of their own half though, and Vermeulen is set up by Le Roux to try to make some more ground. South Africa have had almost all of the possession in this second half, and this is going to take its toll on the tourists eventually. Ben Youngs, who really has been put in the shade by his counterpart De Klerk, scurries back to tidy up the ball. But there's a penalty against Itoje again for a late, high hit on De Klerk. That could have been a yellow card. Pollard will have another pop at goal.
50'Sweet connection, but dragged to the left of the posts, narrowly missing. England breathe a sigh of relief, and the margin remains two points.
50'Player substituted - Jean-Luc du Preez , South Africa
50'Substitute on - Pieter-Steph du Toit , South Africa
49'Maro Itoje pinged for not rolling away. He's had better days. Penalty for South Africa in England territory, and it's certainly worth Handre Pollard having a look at the posts here. 50 metres out, but this is at altitude.
48'South Africa making a double substitution, as Kitshoff and Thomas du Toit come on to bolster the front row.
48'Substitute on - Steven Kitshoff , South Africa
48'Player substituted - Tendai Mtawarira , South Africa
48'Substitute on - Thomas du Toit , South Africa
48'Player substituted - Wilco Louw , South Africa
47'England win the ball at a key lineout in their own territory, but a high kick isn't deep enough and Dyantyi can burst forward towards the 22 again. De Klerk looking to pull the strings again as South Africa maintain possession, Pollard hits an up and under and Daly calls for the mark.
45'De Klerk with a wonderful low kick through, behind the England defence and into touch deep in the English 22.
45'The pressure relents on the England defence as South Africa push too early at a scrum and Farrell can punt to halfway for a lineout.
44'De Klerk probing again, pops it to Nkosi, now Pollard, it's back to Le Roux but the final pass out wide to Dyantyi goes to ground, mainly because of Daly's thumping hit on Le Roux as he plays the pass. Huge hit from Daly, who seems to do everything with extreme power.
43'One false start on the scrum already. They look to reset. South Africa not making any ground at all, so De Klerk takes it upon himself to do it but his eventual pass falls to ground, and it's a knock on by England for another Springbok scrum.
41'Deep kick from Farrell to get us started. South Africa piling out of their own half - a huge carry from RG Snyman, deep from his own 22, he barges through tackle after tackle and is into the England half. Eventually he is stopped and a chip forward is stifled by England, but South Africa will have the put in at the scrum, on the edge of the England 22.
41'Teams are on their way back out at Ellis Park -- can England turn this around? Or can South Africa win a match they looked out of so early on?
41'+229-27 End of first half
41'+229-27 Penalty goal - Owen Farrell , England
40'England made 64 tackles in that first half, twice as many as South Africa. Tellingly, that pressure told in tackles missed, too, which England "lead" 10-6.
40'That's the half. And what a half. Incredible rugby in every sense of the phrase.
40'
40'Penalty to England, which will be some much needed points for Owen Farrell and his men. The captain and his coach have some work to do at the break. But they trail by two rather than five, having led by 21.
40'29-27 Start of second half
40'29-24 Conversion - Handre Pollard , South Africa
39'South Africa lead as the clock ticks towards halftime. They were 24-3 down in the blink of an eye here, but they have been propelled back into this by the determination of debutants like Nkosi and the brilliant execution of stalwarts like De Klerk and Le Roux. Fabulous stuff, if you like your rugby with points on.
39'Penalty advantage as England are pnealised at the lineout. Will South Africa need it? No they will not! Le Roux with a devastating finish from 15 metres out. England in disarray, South Africa looking unstoppable!
39'27-24 Try - Willie Le Roux , South Africa
38'Lineout from the penalty. South Africa, incredibly, looking to take the lead before halftime. Ah, bad drop in the loose there, with Sinckler diving on the loose ball and Ford clearing it to touch. Still England can't get out of the stranglehold that the Springboks suddenly have on this game.
37'Another penalty for South Africa. A dangerous tackle on Faf de Klerk, who has been an absolute liverwire. Maro Itoje goes in high on him and admittedly steals the ball, but that's a penalty all night long.
36'A bit of a moment here for Brad Shields, who runs on to make his debut. A New Zealander with English parents, he has been fast-tracked into Eddie Jones' England team.
36'
36'Substitute on - Brad Shields , England
36'Player substituted - Nick Isiekwe , England
35'22-24 Conversion - Handre Pollard , South Africa
34'Aphiwe Dyantyi deserves immense credit for his assist there, but Nkosi looks virtually unstoppable every time he gets the ball. Also great stuff from Willie Le Roux in the build-up, delaying the pass just long enough to commit England defenders who couldn't afford to be committed. There's two points in this. Is Owen Farrell's laughter as he scored his try going to come back to haunt him?
34'20-24 Try - Sbu Nkosi , South Africa
33'South Africa are playing these conditions well now, and they recycle and recycle and recycle until England buckle again. TRY NKOSI! What a comeback this is.
32'England losing their grip a little, and Kyle Sinckler fails to release the ball. Penalty South Africa in their own half, and Pollard heaves it into England territory for the lineout. Spirited stuff from South Africa, who are (weirdly) in the ascendancy.
31'15-24 Conversion - Handre Pollard , South Africa
30'Well, Elliot Daly won't want to see that again. Nkosi, on his first cap, chips cleverly forward into the dead ball area but Daly should scoop that up without any issue. Somehow, he dives clean over the ball, drops it and Nkosi only needs to fall on the ball to score. What a mess for England, but Nkosi looks like a real find on the evidence of his first 30 minutes as a Test player.
30'13-24 Try - Sbu Nkosi , South Africa
29'Huge roars as Lukhanyo Am then Nkosi make inroads down the right, and there's a thumping collision between Nkosi and Daly which the England man just about wins, inasmuch as he stops Nkosi's progress. But South Africa get the ball back -- and Nkosi has scored! TRY SOUTH AFRICA - game very much on!
28'Some sloppy stuff creeping from both sides. They're gassed after that opening quarter. South Africa building in midfield.
26'Daly's prodigious boot is almost an unfair advantage, like having a driver when everyone else is playing with a pitching wedge. Another thumping kick leaves Ellis Park gasping and South Africa again lose a heap of territory, even if they do get the ball back for their lineout.
26'
25'England manage to turn South Africa over, Jonny May dances around his own defensive line, but it's all eventually called back due to a Springbok knock-on. A breather for both sides all in all, after a frenetic first quarter.
23'South Africa first win a scrum from a knock on by Daly under a high ball, then a quick-tap penalty as England won't let them get the scrum going. But the fast-break attack breaks down thanks to a thumping tackle that puts the ball all the way out for a lineout to the Springboks.
22'Pollard misses the conversion. But still. There is hope for South Africa here. They need to fasten the back door, but the English defence doesn't look all that comfortable either when put under pressure.
20'Brilliant burst from Nkosi down the right -- he's looked a threat every time he's touched it in the opening quarter -- and England's defence is undone. It leaves De Klerk with a clever try, though quite what Maro Itoje is doing at the breakdown is anyone's guess. He basically falls over, and as the covering defender it leaves De Klerk with an unchallenged dive for the lean.
20'8-24 Try - Faf de Klerk , South Africa
19'Ellis Park is abuzz, for all the wrong reasons. The crowd are trying to get their heads around what is happening in front of them. Meanwhile, the Springboks get a midfield penalty and Pollard punts it into the England 22. They need to keep scoring if they can't stop England.
18'3-24 Conversion - Owen Farrell , England
17'TRY! England! Far too easy, a total mismatch as things stand. George Ford sends a glorious miss-pass out wide from the centre of the field, Jonny May gains unopposed ground down the right, and it's an easy pass inside to Farrell who can't help but laugh as he runs it in behind the posts. Superb from England, shambolic from the Springboks.
17'3-22 Try - Owen Farrell , England
16'Elliot Daly makes more use of the altitude, this time by heaving an absolute monster from his own territory to put the Springboks on the back foot. They have to kick for touch and England are on the attack again.
15'3-17 Conversion - Owen Farrell , England
14'Farrell lines up the conversion. What a beautiful kick that is. It's not about distance due to the altitude, it's all about the direction, and Farrell just carves another beauty over the posts from the left wing. This is as good an opening 15 minutes as England could have expected.
13'England still attacking, Itoje pushing on, then Farrell. Nick Isiekwe burrows forward. The Springbok defence has done well to stop progress, but then May breaks through, slips a tackle, ships it left and Elliot Daly has a simple finish. Far too easy for England as the Springbok defence eventually loses its shape and is found wanting.
13'3-15 Try - Elliot Daly , England
12'England look dangerous every time they come forward. George Ford has had a good start, as has Mike Brown. Billy Vunipola is a pivotal addition to this England team, having recovered from injury.
11'He does. The flame-throwers go off, Black Eyed Peas yell "Let's get it started" and flags wave in the crowd. Game on? Game on.
11'3-10 Penalty goal - Handre Pollard , South Africa
9'South Africa probing. De Klerk probing with passes left and right at the base of the ruck, penalty coming for tackler not rolling away, and the play is called back as Sibusiso Nkosi is stopped out on the right flank and there's no advantage. Penalty kick time, and Handre Pollard should slot this over from close range.
8'An exchange of penalties gives South Africa a lineout on the England 22. And now a free kick for England closing in on the gap at the throw. Kolisi indicates he wants a scrum. South Africa hoping to make some pressure tell.
7'Penalty for collapsing the scrum. And it's against the Springboks. Huge roars from the England pack. That's another significant early win for the tourists.
6'Don't think this is done, though. Billy Vunipola immediately fumbles a deep kick off, and it's a scrum inside the England 22 for the Springboks.
5'Owen Farrell makes no mistake from the left with the conversion. This is about as good a start to a three-Test series as an away side can make.
5'0-10 Conversion - Owen Farrell , England
4'England causing chaos as Ben Youngs and Jonny May combine down the right flank. Mike Brown might be in down the left... he is! What a start for England! Mike Brown's 12th international try, and he's finished that fantastically through three defenders from around eight metres out. Sheer determination winning out there. What a start for England.
4'0-8 Try - Mike Brown , England
3'Wow! What a boot from Daly. It was dead centre, but that is still 10 metres inside his own half! 3-0 England. That's an astonishing kick.
2'Well, well. Elliot Daly is going to try a pnealty from 60.6 metres. It is at altitude, but still...
2'0-3 Penalty goal - Elliot Daly , England
1'South Africa making the early running in England territory, but they are pinged for going in off feet - it was Jean-Luc du Preez who was the offender.
1'And we are underway!
1'Rapturous anthems, naturally, and emotional times for a lot of South Africans as Kolisi shakes hands and shares embraces with his teammates. We're about to kick off.
1'Anthem time now, with God Save The Queen first up.
1'Flames licking up all around the pitch as the pre-match pyrotechnics implore the crowd to make some noise.
1'The Springboks have their own "moment" about to happen, though -- with the first black South African to lead them out. Flanker Siya Kolisi holds that honour as he runs out in the same venue that Nelson Mandela handed Francois Pienaar the Rugby World Cup trophy 23 years ago. A seminal moment then, a seminal moment now.
1'England are making their way down the steps and out of the tunnel, with Mako Vunipola leading the team out on the occasion of his 50th cap. The team hang back to give him his moment, and it's a lukewarm reception from the Ellis Park faithful. Now comes Owen Farrell, England's captain for this tour.
1'South Africa come into this game on the back of a narrow defeat by Wales in Washington D.C. last weekend -- but this is a much-changed line-up for this match compared to last week's exhibition "Test".
1'The teams are just about to run out at Ellis Park, which is not full. At a guess, there's about 25% of the seats still empty.
1'
1'Hello and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the first Test between South Africa and England. Eddie Jones' men arrive on the back of five straight defeats -- can they arrest that slump against Rassie Erasmus' Springboks?
1'0-0 Start of first half