'Beautiful': Kolisi marvels at sight of Bok backs cutting England to shreds

The sight of the forwards' toil meeting commensurate reward was one Springbok captain Siya Kolisi marvelled at in Saturday's sterling 27-13 win over England at Twickenham.

The Bok forwards showed mongrel as they pummelled England at close quarters, while their backs, who now spend more time off the leash, joyously explored Twickenham's lush green grass.

The Springboks scored through all conventional ways possible but it was the try by Kurt-Lee Arendse that lit an early evening in autumn as he rounded off a sweeping move started by Damian Willemse and got impetus from Willie le Roux. The manner in which Arendse turned England's Marcus Smith inside out before scooting past him will be etched in Springbok folklore.

“It was beautiful to see for a pack of forwards,” Kolisi gushed. “You run a little bit forward and you stand on the halfway line. It is important that we show that side of ourselves. We are proud of what we did today.”

He said the Bok game plan was about taking opportunities. “I think this was a perfect example of what we are trying to achieve.

“We go into kicking shape but we are also able to play off it. And that is what happened. Guys like Damian and Kurt-Lee have the skills to do things like that. And they are allowed to, that's why they get picked,” reminded Kolisi.

The Bok attack has come on in leaps and bounds on this month's tour. The players appear to have more licence to have a crack when they see one in the opposition's defence.

Arendse's try, which had its genesis on the Bok 22m line, was an example of what the Boks can do when they operate in space.

Eben Etzebeth's second half try was a triumph for the unadulterated brutality the Bok forwards brought to the contest. They kept bashing away and England ultimately yielded.

“The forwards were outstanding,” said Bok coach Jacques Nienaber. “They gave us a nice platform. Then the backs took their opportunities. It was a team effort in that sense.”

The score in fact flattered the home team who scored a try after the Springboks went down a man following Thomas du Toit's red card at the start of the final quarter.

The Springboks then called on their tenacity in the trenches as they beat back the England advances despite their numerical disadvantage.

England did score a well-crafted try through Henry Slade but the Springboks were out of sight. That buffer was inflated earlier by two Willemse drop goals.

“Two drop goals weren't planned,” said the flyhalf. “I just felt there was no momentum for us. England defended really well on their 22. I thought I'd have a go and when I struck it, it was sweet and in the middle. I was really happy I could contribute.”

Still, Nienaber felt a sense of unease in an at times tense and tetchy Test.

“We all saw what England is capable of. They came back,” said the coach about England's come-from-behind draw against the All Blacks. “From the coaches box we knew they had that ability and you are never comfortable.”

The Boks rearranged and weathered the storm. “There is nothing we haven't faced this year,” said Kolisi about the red card. “We had a red card before so we are prepared for it, so all I said to the guys was 'nothing changes, we keep on going and we work harder for each other'. They already knew.

“I thought having eight forwards made it a little easier for us. I thought it was a great call from the coaches,” said Kolisi.

The win rivals, if not surpasses, their efforts earlier this year when they beat the All Blacks in Mbombela. This performance was perhaps more complete as it called on more elements of the Springboks' skill set.

“There were a couple of special wins this year. We haven't got a result here since 2014 and you know this is a quality side. This is a tough place to get a result. It was my and Siya's first win here. It was very special,” Nienaber said.

Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.