Steve Borthwick and Jamie George post-match press conference | England 20-29 South Africa

[@iantaylor9716]

One day I'd like to hear a captain say "What a wonderful thing it is to have played in such a close contest with a worthy opposing team, win or lose. We are grown men playing a game for a living - we are privileged, we enjoy it, and we aim to play the best we can."

[@israelmarillier700]

Well played England. From South Africa

[@jonathanthomas2565]

It doesnt natter what form England are in, whenever they play SA, they raise their game. Well played England. They are on the right track. Congratulations Champs. Proudly South African.

[@philipbritz3485]

This English team is fantastic. A feared opponent. Hope administrators have some maturity and vision and keep building. Well played to all

[@propergander6608]

As a south-africa fan, you guys did fookin well. Nice team you have. I wish you well. 👌👍🏼👍🏼

[@Kelvinpaul4]

Maybe SA is not as dominant as SA fans claim, as SA is not winning by large and convincing margins.

[@nomphelocossie3799]

@@Kelvinpaul4 And when you sleep at night please remember that South Africa is World Number 1, 4x champions and they are undisputed 2024 frontrunners. We not claiming anything we are forces to be reckoned with. @propergander6608 kyk die stuk kak wat twaak praat hierso

[@henreppretorius]

@@Kelvinpaul4 It's always fine margins between tier 1 nations mate. This type of competition is great for the game.

[@hullaballoo11]

If you look at England's recent results, they are all pretty close, and there are a couple where the scoreboard doesn't give a fair reflection of how well England played on the park....pretty certain a time will come soon where something will just click and the final piece of the puzzle will fall into place.....England are much better and have played much better than the results suggest at the moment.....as a Springbok fan we have been in this very situation.....

[@projectrelentless6761]

The difference is Borthwick would never be allowed to have this many lost games in SA or New Zealand. Boks left 15+ points out there today and we were playing very average rugby.

[@Alias-gy3tz]

@@projectrelentless6761 In Rassie's first year as Bok coach, he had a 50% win rate....

[@charliemajor2933]

Yeah, well this is Borthwick’s second year and he has a 46% win rate.

[@charliemajor2933]

Pretty close isn’t good enough at this level, with the money, resources and player pool that the RFU has. That’s five consecutive near-win misses. How many more do you want to give them?

[@ashleybasson5664]

+1🇿🇦

[@stevegray3097]

Small margins is correct but we need to learn from defeats and not keep doing the same things

[@paulchristopher8634]

He’s had 2 years

[@Gavsta60]

@@paulchristopher8634 Sadly losing can become a habit just as easily as winning. Doesn't take much....

[@kennylaubscher5758]

SAFFA here. England were massive!! They did develop...a lot. So did the other teams and the Boks. The only difference between these top teams at the moment is RASSIE.

[@tomb2840]

I think it is a bit more than that. The quality and depth of quality is better in SA. The top 100 England players stacked uup against the top 100 South African players is not close

[@Greggybread]

England always managed to get into our heads. They played amazing. 1 year and they will be there

[@DENNISMARTINTOPKIN-fz6ie]

Great teams win even with there back to wall

[@andriesmofokeng6760]

England has a leadership problem. There are not enough leaders on the field who will make the decisions to manage the game, it was evident in the second half they squandered the number of penalties they had. Once the captain was out, every penalty they were awarded it was followed by a conference

[@iainhughes6637]

England have a structural problem caused by the RFU, the prem is 1/3 full of overseas Irish Welsh players if not more blocking pathways of young English talent. Most of those players play every WE with some teams playing up to 11 non EQP every match day. Meanwhile SA players are playing in Europe and their young players getting meaningful game time every WE win win and that is why they can replace any starting 15 player with like for like, mean while back in England many young English talent is either watching a non EQP kick the leather off the ball or never get to play top level rugby!

[@philapholisangozi6363]

​@@iainhughes6637is rugby played at primary school level in England? My son is 13 and has been playing rugby since age 7. That's how South Africa grooms and mentors young Boks.

[@Mumbo_Jumbo_Kiwi.1]

Jamie George always looks like a guilt trip after finishing a packet of crisps. This England team is only 1 or 2 games away from being in the top 3. They are a very good side & coached by amazing staff

[@markbeechey8901]

He would be a pork crackling kind of a guy😂

[@beammeup8458]

They are not a team : the coaches should lead, create a spirit, a will to win .... the "team" spends the last 20 minutes dreaming of the hot tub and a pint ... WHERE IS ENGLANDS SIYA KOLISI .... inspirational leader....

[@markbruce7674]

Must be frustrating playing the Boks... they have become masters at shutting down teams in the last 20min...3 points in the second half....and yet Steve could not change game plan...the Boks had is solid for the last 20min...and then popped a try...they are a great team and well coached.

[@mungoblizzard6114]

More like England shut themselves down 3 x vs NZ last week vs Australia and now the Boks

[@markbruce7674]

@mungoblizzard6114 yeah but these damn Boks have shut down every team they play .

[@PB22559]

Boks were there for the taking. I lost count of the times England had overlaps outside but the SH kept feeding it to another one out forward to continue to truck it up the middle of the park. Terrible on field decision making is what lost England that game.

[@DemocFan]

Englands decision making under increasing pressure let them down for example when Marcus refused a pass from Maro and left him stranded. SB is not on the pitch and SA have been where England are now.

[@jamesfleming-bg9oe]

@@markbruce7674 so true remember This is the boks. jees a great team maybe the best boks team ever England arfe on the right path don't lose heart it will come

[@tonymcgold1861]

You don't need to keep doing press conference's just play the same one on loop 😢😢

[@SapholwethuNgongoma]

😂😅

[@chattingscript]

Take a shot every time you hear: • we're improving week on week • our opposition are a very good team • we're always learning from these defeats • we're not far away from where we want to be Been the same rhetoric since 2018. Starting to think the WC 19 and 23 runs were fluke, cos everything around those two since 2018 to now, under Jones and Borthwick, have been absolutely rubbish.

[@haydenjacobs5866]

So true😂

[@jamesfleming-bg9oe]

Its always hard when there is a loss but building for the future damn it to me looks positive

[@ip3948]

Blaming it on 'small lapses' is blaming the players. These aren't one off errors, the team is consistently not performing to their potential.

[@CarkCark-u9j]

Blaming the players? Mmmm let’s look at that ridiculous statement! The “players” you refer to are literally being paid Millions to do a Job that they have interviewed for and is literally responsible for by virtue of their contracts. Am I missing something??

[@ip3948]

@CarkCark-u9j Yes mate, you are. .... interviews 🤣🤣

[@CarkCark-u9j]

@@ip3948 haha you’re a clown

[@thewomble1509]

@@CarkCark-u9j Paid millions? Go back to football mate.

[@CarkCark-u9j]

@@thewomble1509 I’m a South African, we don’t watch soccer! It’s for sissies! And how much do you think their contracts are? Tell us ohh All Knowing One. And you know you’re missing the POINT right?

[@SeanBurke-lr6hg]

Why is everyone being so harsh here. SA are the best team in the world. We lost by 9, not 29! The guys really stepped in my opinion.

[@charliemajor2933]

If we lost by 29, then we really would be in trouble. 5 losses on the bounce, arguably all to quality sides, but accepting these small margin losses isn’t good enough from a country with the highest budget and largest pool of players.

[@marlecmarine5393]

England put a good show against the world champions and NZ, but when you loss your two best coaches from the England set up we will not win these difficult games. England lost these games because Borthwick is unable to hang on to his best staff.

[@stevekay528]

Those same coaches were there when we lost to France and NZ twice

[@Charlieb6308]

The defence coach is still being paid WTF is that all about. Make him do the job or get someone else in his place. RFU waste of space

[@charliemajor2933]

They have got someone else in his place - Joe El Abd. The reason he’s still being paid is because it was stipulated in his contract. He can’t be employed by a competitor for 12 months, so he’s in effect on gardening leave. The real question you want to be asking is why do Borthwick’s coaching staff keep leaving.

[@shintenkai1648]

Keep blaming coaches and players and you will find yourself saying the same thing with every new coach. It's already happening.

[@robertwarrior5108]

This England team will taste success in the future. This period right now is invaluable from an experience point of view against very good sides. England will have their day in the sun.

[@darrelllingman63]

The Allblacks were in a similar situation Part of the learning process.Your group leaders need to critique and make improvements. Go on tour to develop your team.

[@oliversmiddy840]

The difference is they have a world class coach.

[@calvinrich8441]

LoL. All blacks just lost again. No depth in eng squad. Dan Cole still playing.

[@kimholland9316]

They lost against the best team in the world by 9 points. What is the point of changing the coach at this time? The six nations will be interesting

[@ColinAnderson-hy2oj]

Change the RFU governing board!

[@hermankern3939]

Six nations will be between England, France and Ireland (in that order) is my prediction.

[@Charlieb6308]

​@@hermankern3939England won't beat Scotland, France, Ireland or Wales.

[@trimad6128]

@@Charlieb6308haha wales!!hahahaha

[@hermankern3939]

@@Charlieb6308 can we put a beer or two on that one, distance is the only problem, we might have to meet halfway to settle the score.....

[@biffjones2601]

England played a game to be proud of, they should hold their chins high, win or lose.

[@paulchristopher8634]

Coach Steve Bothwick has had two seasons to gel a winning team and yet he’s won nothing. Sorry but it’s time this man stepped down or sacked

[@deltazulu3650]

Sack the Muppet. Same old waffle post every match.

[@martinluke9470]

Don't expect him to win, but should have shown big improvements in 2 years. He hasn't. More of the same waffle. Yawn.

[@nsd_respect]

Microwave society

[@jamesfleming-bg9oe]

Np good coach

[@WarrenDonough-m6e]

Why must he step down ? England are way better than most teams. They are actually impressive in my opinion and getting better you need to be patient. I'm from SA btw and for the record , we lost 57-0 to NZ in 2018, also lost to wales, Italy and argentina. That's 6 years ago

[@stabes70]

I think..err I think..4 wins in 10 games..I think we’re re building..I think we have talent (not in the coaches)..I think we could beat Japan and wrapped up the series with a win… I think Borthwick’s a thinker.,

[@martinluke9470]

He is, but all the wrong ones.

[@charliemajor2933]

Definitely not a ‘doer’.

[@andreemurray7039]

The whole rfu should go along with Borthwick

[@ph5849]

SA were down to 14 men! SB and his coaches will never win a WC! England are going backwards/sliding down world rankings! 50% win rate( think one win against big teams!) RFU need a change now, get Shaun edwards in now! SB calls/selections/ tactics are never going to work!! We are wasting time and talent! We not close to aiming for the WC in3 years.

[@mungoblizzard6114]

Under 20s look promising

[@colinhulett8139]

Great answers by Steve Borthwick!! I am a (Safa). The English need to be patient!! The English team is moving in the right direction. Look at the Boks when Russie took over, he had something like a 50% winning streak. The England side just pushed the best team in the world who have been dominating World rugby for the past 8 years. They have the best coach in the world and have been working together on their systems for over 8 years. How long have this England team been together working on their systems??

[@paulmulready1760]

Where is Sir Clive. He is strangely quiet. Borthwick said that England were not leading any stat under Eddie. Congratulations they are now no good at anything.

[@Stofpad73]

Eng did well...nothing to blame. SA was clearly a notch up and Eng will get better.

[@SpartanHighKing14]

Borthwick and Jamie George are delusional. This England team is regressing, and everyone can see it.

[@randomlyfactual1943]

That's a bit harsh, mate. Last year's semi final, you guys were all over us in that match. The Boks won, only because of one of the greatest prop performances in the entire professional era and one of the greatest kickers ever put away a 53 meters penalty at an angle. Yet, Borthwick can't continue with that team in the long term. Sure, he would have had better results, but that would only serve to leave your boys high and dry come the next world cup. You have a crop of really talented players who are almost as good as the Boks and the All Blacks. Allow them to make some mistakes, allow them to grow into battle hardened versions of themselves and yes, allow them to lose. This team, once they get their mental game right, is going to commit some Geneva violations in the near future. Support them and give them time to improve.

[@charliemajor2933]

The semi-final was a great performance and tactically spot on. However, that was a one-off.

[@DemocFan]

the Eng team you describe don't take some of the top teams in the world that close, Im English, but England fans attitude to their team sucks

[@THIRU-l4z]

They played extremely well fantastic English performance.. against the world champions England need to continue in the same vain.. To my bokke we had a brilliant season enjoy your break guys

[@philwebbphotography3630]

Would be very nice if they answered the question put to them, instead of stock the comments they come out with that sound like they have pre prepared. And to the journalists asking the question, you need to say NO, answer my question!!!!

[@stephenfarr1155]

Have we found out why the last defence coach left yet?

[@richardjoseph9002]

And we have a scrum half as an attack coach!

[@peterstewart6390]

Yes ….he worked his bollocks off and they still couldn’t defend.

[@IverKnackerov]

Excuses are like a-holes…. everyones got one. And this england team has loads of them. All this BS about “development” … takes the fans as fools

[@paulchristopher8634]

He’s had two years. How much more time does Bothwick want

[@Bradley-b4d]

Spot on also blame the old farts at the RFU they wanted a Englishman but nothing changes 🏉🫣🌹

[@lastmanstanding9389]

It starts at grassroot level, watch Tim from Eggchasers, he came to South Africa and found out about our schoolboy rugby, the birthplace of the Bok team.

[@SpencerCourtis]

THREE BLATANT NO TRIES! Knock on overlooked - England first try. Brutal off the ball tackle on Labock by England overlooked - England try. Forward pass by England overlooked - England third try. Has this something to do with the multi-billion $ betting industry or as per normal, bias towards South Africa? Not to mention the 'forward pass' try denied South Africa!!!

[@gideonsanders6514]

The bokke probably could have score 3 more tries

[@jimmyneil2460]

England are very close to being up there.A few things to sort out.Defence out wide,decision making and a big strong back up front row

[@siliziwendlela]

I thought England really gave a good go at the Boks. It's a performance to look back and build on. From a South African

[@martinluke9470]

Nice to have praise from the opposition supporters who are genuine rugby fans, and not the "pom" bashing comments sometimes found on the web. Thank you and the others who are of like mind. A deserved win for the Boks. Well played.

[@nevillepurdon7678]

England played well, Springboks are just on a different level. Japan should be a runaway win for England.

[@Pltjr33]

England lost 5 (4 of which was against NZ and SA) - many other teams in the world will be in a worse position. I’m always against Eng - but really enjoy watching them play. Lots of great players in the team with game winning talent - especially Marcus Smith. Lots of learning in the tight games - results will follow!!

[@bwana4711]

England are on the cusp of success. It’s not like they’re getting stomped. Patience is hard but necessary.

[@Bradley-b4d]

Time to say goodbye Mr Borthwick should have never been appointed by RFU his CV his very thin 🏉🏉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🫣🧐

[@BretIrwin-pv4rd]

You can see Steve is under the pump here versus the media. Feel for him. England played well against a really good Bok side.

[@TheBrandWithin-w1f]

England have found their natural level - never in the same breath as NZ, Springboks, France. Not one England player could make any of those teams.

[@waynemoore9951]

Fronted up physically, did you see all the missed tackles from slade and steward

[@AdriaanWindt]

The temptation is always to look at the outcome as a W or a L. But, there are many processes involved in getting to the W. THAT is what they are working on; trust them

[@oliversmiddy840]

lol. Are you’ve Steve’s Dad?

[@calvinrich8441]

You live in a dream world.

[@Jazzies101]

Processes are worked on during the week. W on matchdays. L's are for first losers.

[@davidwalker2402]

What a ridiculous thing to say of course winning is the most important thing . This team has lost 7 of the last 9 games everyone is talking about wales being bad this is right up there. They have great players they have a truly bad coach…

[@paulchristopher8634]

It doesn’t take you two years to win a match

[@SuperSoc27]

Comparing this conference to the Rassie one: A lot talk, super wordy, no real technical insights or analysis. Pretty boring to be honest. What I got from Steve - we are confident (x100), we had opportunities (x39), and I don't need to replace the two coaches I lost, they don't really add any value.

[@calvinrich8441]

You playing on the world stage you chop. Every team you play is a good team. Never looked dangerous at all

[@neilsmith8327]

SA are world class , England in patches played really well just stupid errors

[@valhaynes858]

If you look at the quality of players we have lost recently and the age of the current bunch we are improving but our strength in depth is worrying. Props are a weakness and centres need beefing up.

[@marnoster]

English media, ey. This team are doing everything right, just need to figure out the last couple of minutes and you're there. dont let these guys get to you. Stick together

[@RussellFogg-ew1ju]

Dumb and Dumber. Should have sacked the lightweight when we lost by 50 points to France at Twickers. World Cup was a smoke screen by given easy passage to semis. I cannot believe we ended up with this shower as the head coach when you look at who we could have had. Sack him…..only going to get worse

[@christoels8110]

So close, and yet so far. Don't be too critical of Steve Borthwick and his England charges. They are just about where they ought to be. Patience is the ultimate here. They are a far better outfit than the results of late indicate. There are a few teams hitting the tune at present, and England is also in the mix. Watch this team.

[@DanieSASIAN]

Not being fair to coach and team here, it was a very good match where England looked dangerous all the way through

[@marelizemeier]

I’m South African. I’ve seen bad days. This is nothing like that for England and been worse England teams. I really see and think England are in a good place and they have improved and it’s fine margins. They will be back and they are actually not far off at all. Before and during World Cup they looked crap. This is way better. Boks have learned how to win. Mentality takes years. Coaching.

[@deantairi8357]

We’ll done England you turned up to play

[@calvinrich8441]

And still lost

[@deantairi8357]

@ cmon mate they didn’t give up like they have in the past

[@davidwalker2402]

@@deantairi8357so they didn’t give up but were really bad in the last 20 minutes its now called not giving up 😂😂😂

[@deantairi8357]

@@davidwalker2402 better than their two previous games

[@davidwalker2402]

@ it wasn’t they never looked like beating SA, the changes JVP and steward were appalling, this coach is no good and that I’m afraid won’t change.

[@matsvineyard7564]

England properly beaten by a quality Bok side.

[@ceemcdee6697]

What game are people watching here?? no where was England in a clear position of winning.

[@hamishrodgers8109]

Hang in there Steve Borthwick . Good Coach . Patience needed England are not that far away . Some issues on defence . Some selections need to change . It will come right . Boks know how to win even when its win ugly . If the Boks put together “ the perfect performance “ then they are going to destroy anyone right now 💪😊

[@Kelvinpaul4]

Northern hemisphere teams, tend to slow games down, with lots of stoppages and team meetings, playing in packets. If they played with intensity for 80 minutes, I believe they will win, as England is pretty close to beating the three main Southern hemisphere teams.

[@inganjikelana2561]

2:46 Rassie cycled 50 players this year and the Bokke have over a 83% win rate. The excuse Steve is making here is weak. Players leaving after a World Cup is not a reason to lose this many games in a row.

[@rdw9747]

S Edwards the next England Manager! Recognise who we English are! Tough, hard, strong, fighters! It’ll never happen but it F should!

[@deltazulu3650]

Andy Farrell (now stepped down from Ireland for Lions tour) with Shaun Edwards as his 2IC! Bring both elite English coaches in!

[@HenryKing679]

Keep Bothwick as long as you can England,he will definelty win more losses then win anything itself😅😅😅

[@Vlerkies]

Just my view, Eng give the ball up to cheaply. Plenty of skill, just lacking maybe on the carry. Just give it up to easy. It was a solid Eng performance, but there is a a lot more there for sure. Cherish the pill.

[@peterwomersley]

game management and mindset Two key areas where England must improve

[@johannblignaut1966]

The England team is getting better with ever match.They put the Springboks under a lot of pressure.Now is not the time to not support them or sack the coach.Well played England.From a Bok fan who knows rugby.

[@paulchristopher8634]

The coach has had two years. He should have put together a winning team by now

[@TheBuildKingR]

Well, if you are as desperate as England was it would seem that way. Any team will be desperate to win like England was. The same with Wales for example. At the end of the day if you can't beat a team that played poorly ajd you've played you best, it means your best isn't good enough

[@axelbooysen1088]

Naaah we played badly full stop. We know pressure and in the past we handled that greatly. This game and the scotland game we played poorly.

[@TheBuildKingR]

@@axelbooysen1088 How did we not handle the pressure? If we lost we didn't handle it, but we won. So I'm not sure how we didn't handle it. We shut down the attacks that came.

[@axelbooysen1088]

@@TheBuildKingR I'm replying to the original comment when he said England put us under pressure. We made stupid mistakes even in the scotland game. So I'm saying it's not about pressure more like we just played kak

[@TP1988]

Look at the players SA have atm and the players England have atm - what do people expect?!

[@Charlieb6308]

There are better players available but the RFU have a self harm policy of not picking overseas based players. Not only that but we aren't picking the best in the premier league.

[@charliemajor2933]

England have, by far, the largest playing pool. Also, look at the talent that they refuse to select, instead opting for old, risk-averse players.

[@TP1988]

@@charliemajor2933 France have two fully professional leagues with much better home-grown rules, in addition to far more money in the club and international game, they’re streets ahead by those measures. RSA have 500+ professionals playing overseas in addition to four URC sides and their own domestic second tier. But yes, I agree England have enough resources; but the fact is they haven’t been churning out the talent. Especially physical talent - genuine speed, genuine X factor, genuine size are all quite rare in the Prem.

[@kevinbaxter7390]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🧢 Caps for Mates Squad,zero desire to bed in Talented up coming Props ,second Rows ,a proper 12 . Limp into next WC with Daly Slade Cole George ,only thing learned from last five games,is that we afraid to mix things up . A SQUAD players bed them in now ready for WC . Criminal Ted Hill know wear to be seen

[@Marius_vanderLubbe]

Billy V must return as captain. Mako also.

[@G-wm2ll]

We have the resources to be great, but this coaching team won’t pick them. Need power/pace at 12, Steward remains one dimensional, can’t tackle and so slow, JVP, what was that about? I think we know! Some great individual performances with Smith as always the stand out X factor player. Great to see Underhill back. Bottom line, we will never progress with Borthwick, he needs to go now. World Cup looms, think about where we are heading RFU, be brave and make the obvious decision.

[@deltazulu3650]

Same old Borthwick excuses rolled out after every single abject performance. Borthwick is just beyond tedious & full of lame, baseless excuses by the clueless international coach who should just be a club rugby coach. Only Borthwick can consistently turn this crop of quality elite, talented, skilled, rapid, powerful athletes into losers. Borthwick has to go, sack the muppet. He has had more than enough chances over two years of substandard performances. New Zealand, Australia & the Boks were all there for the taking at home in Twickenham! Borthwick with his awful below par coaching, failure to select the perfect squad, misuse of the bench, poorly timed replacements etc.

[@BrettRoberts-j9u]

Thanks England for paying me hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, all the resources I want, I'll keep serving you up loss after loss. We are definitely a team on the improve, I'm really proud of yet another loss, one day I promise we will get there, just keep showing patience, I have every confidence in the team, now where's my next pay cheque.

[@vevey75]

They have to win the six nations and the grand slam, that will show progress.

[@paulchristopher8634]

But they won’t unfortunately

[@seamus9750]

They can count their lucky stars that they're not facing the Argies next !!

[@kevinpillay6103]

England are the only team who lose many games and feel so positive. Every post match interview sounds like they just won.

[@kierondean3501]

The double pump line out cost England big time.

[@johnfenechdoe3148]

Sorry, but this is regression in performance and athletic delivery terms.

[@johnnypickles5256]

Not sure all out blitz defende is the answer , its cost us a few tries by needlessly rushing up . The first and last saffa tries come to mind

[@Ballas56]

For those calling for a new coach, do they have a realistic substitute in mind?

[@Charlieb6308]

England don't have a killer instinct.

[@jphavenga734]

The harsh critizism of England in this game is at best unfounded! They disrupted the Boks at almost every turn and the Boks returned the favour. Yes, the boks is not world champs for nothing, they proved it in this game, but to trash England and the coaching staff is totally just wrong! I am a bok supporter, and I was nervous as hell! England, you can hold your head high .... respect from SA!

[@richardlawrence3056]

Sidestepping the question on loss of coaches, formulaic pre planned answers lacks authenticity and hence won’t motivate his players to truly dig deep and win games.. weak leadership

[@knowmean]

England coaching staff are clueless England under 20’s have won 9 out their last 10 games. They drew a game to. England, listen up, this information is free. After a RWC, bring in the under 20/21”s into the senior team. When you play countries like, Georgia, Romania, Italy, you allow the youngs guys a chance. That’s called developing a team.

[@tims1542]

It's alright Steve, give Beaumont a ring and see if he can do anymore to try and "level up the playing field for you" 😂😂. On a serious note its a simple as this - Engalnd have a lot of very good players, but they don't have a lot of excellent players. And that's the difference. The boks have absolute razzle dazzle and unbeleiveable talent in every position that shine. You potentially have one or two individuals that "may" be something like that.

[@johanschoeman869]

To the English supporters: Get behind your team and stop picking them apart after each game. The Springboks have been in the same position in the beginning of Rassie's tenure. The Roses dont need the pressure that gets put on them as if they dont want to win. England demonstrated yesterday that it was a game of small margins. They put the Springboks under a lot of pressure and it is obvious that Steve Borthwick and his team did some cleaver things that put the Boks under a lot of pressure. I have a passionate dislike of armchair critics who have never played a game of rugby or old players who think they know better and ALLWAYS howl at the moon after every loss. Stick with the program and give the couches and team time and space, they have improved a lot. Respect to the English team for fronting up and giving us an excellent game.

[@themanabroad7800]

Man the English media are such maggots, they have no respect and always shit on any English team. Yes we lost, but international sport is fine margins and we are in a better place than we were before Borthwick took over.

[@gprugby]

Never mind, Cunningham-South is probably still celebrating his tackle in a losing performance against NZ and Ben Curry is probably still screaming in joy about his turnover in a losing performance again Australia, so Thats something to hold on to

[@shintenkai1648]

Sorry to say england but your biggest issue is not your coaching or players, it's your fans, pundits and media who are unable to see progress without a win result.

[@DavidShort-q1d]

The old guard has to be phased out and the young talent brought through asap Its that simple

[@kaplazma6748]

6 nations that’s it give Borthwick one more roll of the dice, giving the benefit of the doubt that we are close If we don’t finish in the top 2 then eject him It really has to be that simple or we will endure another couple of years of ‘we are close’

[@fabiangroom3228]

They need a guy like Robbie Deans in their coaching team just for the boks games. If there's one man that knows how to beat the boks its him 🤔

[@randomlyfactual1943]

The comments and the press are very harsh on Borthwick. Yeah, he lost three games on the trot. But it could very easily have been three games in a row that he had won. Nobody waked over England; it was hard fought victories that went to the death! At several times during the last three weeks, the English looked superior to the All Blacks, the Wallabies and the Boks. You can see there is something special lurking beneath the surface. Sacking this man when this team is so close to outtingtit all together would be a monumental mistake.

[@waynemoore9951]

You saw that with Luke tonight, yeah did you miss the lineout throws Jaime

[@andrews1289]

SA did just about everything they could to give England a chance to win that and they couldn't. England fall apart in the last quarter. Again.

[@patsyparisi2620]

Edward please come home please

[@ofentsebanda330]

The boks will make you think like it slipped away trust me me mate I did not slip away .

[@joejoe6754]

Nobody's questioning whether they are talented players. As a unit, the England team has not been functioning anywhere near it's best for some years under Jones or Borthwick. For whatever reason, they just cant deliver the performance levels that are required. Is Borthwick the right coach? Is Jamie George the right captain? Is the leadership strong enough? I'm really not sure England are getting any of those things right.

[@calvinrich8441]

Keep saying the same things over and over. Lol. Japan to win by 5 next week

[@isaacgavu6050]

Surely england can't lose to Japan 😅

[@mothibeditseladimitloa3147]

As the Boks team fans , we are proud of our boys and congrats to the coach and team. We are number one in the WORLD!!!

[@Kgopotsosello]

2 years Cant be building for ever. Not good enough