1st Test - an incremental approach

[Digby]

Minute 17

We win the lineout but then Youngs juggles the ball, or perhaps dummies himself, so their line is up even before Ford has the pill. With their line pushed up Slade runs a decent line back against the drift. Billy and George combine to take as a few yards right and not so many forward, and then Ford befuddles the Saffa defence with a miss 2 pass, clearly this is a revolution in rugby circles as the Saffas are cooked and then some, May breaks down the right and then beats the last defender with a ball back inside to Farrell who scores and easy try. Another horrible score given up by SA, though we can at least empathise with fans wondering just how their defence got so narrow

[Raggs]

Lovely vision from Ford on that one.

[Digby]

It was nice from Ford or at least he didn't shank the pass as happens to some ice cool 10s, but SA did put up giant neon lights saying attack this way

[Digby]

Minute 18

Faz kicks the conversion. SA restart long to Billy

[Digby]

Minute 19

Youngs box kicks up to the halfway, it stays on the 5m line so that's nice, Brown gets the receiver down (Green 8) but it is again a touch long. SA work their way left, there's a decent tackle from Curry and at the next play of the ball Maro manages to tackle Faf slightly late but not too bad, we're going after him without doubt

Next phase again and George gets pinged for not rolling away. The earlier pen on George was maybe a bit harsh, this one is more extreme than harsh, it's basically schoolboy where one side opens a 20 point lead and the ref steps in to put an end to the game skewing one way

SA don't kick the 3 but send it into the England 22 about 7-8m from the try line

[Stom]

Yeah, that penalty on 19 mins is insane. How the hell was he possibly meant to roll away quicker? He was rapidly up and back on our side.

[Digby]

Minute 20

SA win the lineout but the maul is disrupted and the ball is lobbed back infield, Pollard gathers and runs between Ford and Curry and Curry makes a tackle. SA run some more phases, Isiekwe makes some back to back tackles and then WLR releases Green 14 down the right with the England defence far too narrow.

Green 14 runs through Ford just about and Brown puts him down 2m out near the right touchline. Maro then makes perhaps the oddest move of the game by jumping out of his role as the guard defender and Faf simply pops though the hole Itoje creates to score, a couple of odd things for Itoje, firstly the whole point of defending there is to not open the gap, second there's no upside I can see to him reaching over to what? slap the ball from Faf's hand? even if it'd worked and he hadn't simply fallen over that would look a lot like a yellow card

[Digby]

Minute 21

Nowt happens

[Stom]

Minute 20

SA win the lineout but the maul is disrupted and the ball is lobbed back infield, Pollard gathers and runs between Ford and Curry and Curry makes a tackle. SA run some more phases, Isiekwe makes some back to back tackles and then WLR releases Green 14 down the right with the England defence far too narrow.

Green 14 runs through Ford just about and Brown puts him down 2m out near the right touchline. Maro then makes perhaps the oddest move of the game by jumping out of his role as the guard defender and Faf simply pops though the hole Itoje creates to score, a couple of odd things for Itoje, firstly the whole point of defending there is to not open the gap, second there's no upside I can see to him reaching over to what? slap the ball from Faf's hand? even if it'd worked and he hadn't simply fallen over that would look a lot like a yellow card

Aye, I thought at the time that he had absolutely no chance of doing anything good there.

To be honest, it feels like the players have been told in no uncertain terms "be the first, hit hard and hit quick, set the theme, hit the 9 early and often". And that would also explain the stupidly fast linespeed at exclusion of everything else.

[Digby]

Minute 22

Pollard misses the conv.

Ford again positions himself to kick left then opens his body up to kick right. SA make the catch, run a couple of phases, and are ready to box kick clear

[Digby]

Minute 20

SA win the lineout but the maul is disrupted and the ball is lobbed back infield, Pollard gathers and runs between Ford and Curry and Curry makes a tackle. SA run some more phases, Isiekwe makes some back to back tackles and then WLR releases Green 14 down the right with the England defence far too narrow.

Green 14 runs through Ford just about and Brown puts him down 2m out near the right touchline. Maro then makes perhaps the oddest move of the game by jumping out of his role as the guard defender and Faf simply pops though the hole Itoje creates to score, a couple of odd things for Itoje, firstly the whole point of defending there is to not open the gap, second there's no upside I can see to him reaching over to what? slap the ball from Faf's hand? even if it'd worked and he hadn't simply fallen over that would look a lot like a yellow card

Aye, I thought at the time that he had absolutely no chance of doing anything good there.

To be honest, it feels like the players have been told in no uncertain terms "be the first, hit hard and hit quick, set the theme, hit the 9 early and often". And that would also explain the stupidly fast linespeed at exclusion of everything else.

You've missed off hitting the 9 late as well as early.

And we didn't always blitz, but only 'cause they started getting such quick ball we didn't have time to get onto and thus off the line (though I'm getting ahead of myself here and showing some bias in what I'm expecting to see confirm as happening soon in he match)

[Digby]

Minute 23

Faf makes a clearing box kick, Green 11 gets there ahead of Daly and taps the ball back in something of a risky play. The ball bobbles around and Robshaw dives on it, the ref helps SA out by awarding a green scrum for the tap back by Green 11, it's harsh on Daly and England, but it's not a shocking call.

England get pinged at the scrum, but it's only a free kick, Faf goes quickly and the ball moves down the line quickly. Slade makes a nice covering tackle on WLR and knocks the ball into touch as he does so for a lineout to SA almost up to the England 10m line.

[Digby]

Minute 24

SA win the lineout and head left/open. Slade rather pushes out of the line and almost gets beaten on his inside but Green 13 just drops the ball (SA like us weren't without more handling errors than they'd like).

May sets of on his comedy tour which is sadly ended with him having only arrived at the England 22, technically it ends with May's legs above horizontal (hardly unusual on a tour) and him landing on his back, but you'd have some issues if you wanted a penalty for that, and we're back for the scrum back where Green 13 dropped the ball

[Puja]

Minute 20

SA win the lineout but the maul is disrupted and the ball is lobbed back infield, Pollard gathers and runs between Ford and Curry and Curry makes a tackle. SA run some more phases, Isiekwe makes some back to back tackles and then WLR releases Green 14 down the right with the England defence far too narrow.

Green 14 runs through Ford just about and Brown puts him down 2m out near the right touchline. Maro then makes perhaps the oddest move of the game by jumping out of his role as the guard defender and Faf simply pops though the hole Itoje creates to score, a couple of odd things for Itoje, firstly the whole point of defending there is to not open the gap, second there's no upside I can see to him reaching over to what? slap the ball from Faf's hand? even if it'd worked and he hadn't simply fallen over that would look a lot like a yellow card

Aye, I thought at the time that he had absolutely no chance of doing anything good there.

To be honest, it feels like the players have been told in no uncertain terms "be the first, hit hard and hit quick, set the theme, hit the 9 early and often". And that would also explain the stupidly fast linespeed at exclusion of everything else.

You've missed off hitting the 9 late as well as early.

And we didn't always blitz, but only 'cause they started getting such quick ball we didn't have time to get onto and thus off the line (though I'm getting ahead of myself here and showing some bias in what I'm expecting to see confirm as happening soon in he match)

There were a good few cheap shots on De Klerk - it was clearly a tactic. There was one in the first half by Itoje that was blatant and I think we were saved by the ref's comms being down and the linesman not being bothered enough to push it. The yellow was coming; Mako was just unlucky to be the one caught.

Puja

[twitchy]

Faf was at his best for that game. I remember people being really sniffy about him when he joined sale but he is a quality player. He gives a team so much go forward.

[Banquo]

Faf was at his best for that game. I remember people being really sniffy about him when he joined sale but he is a quality player. He gives a team so much go forward.

They have Faf, we have Faf-about

[Oakboy]

Faf was at his best for that game. I remember people being really sniffy about him when he joined sale but he is a quality player. He gives a team so much go forward.

They have Faf, we have Faf-about

[Mellsblue]

Faf was at his best for that game. I remember people being really sniffy about him when he joined sale but he is a quality player. He gives a team so much go forward.

They have Faf, we have Faf-about

Cough, cough

[Banquo]

They have Faf, we have Faf-about

Cough, cough

It’s the way you tell em

[Mellsblue]

Cough, cough

It’s the way you tell em

Timing.

[Mellsblue]

What’s the secret of comedy?

[Banquo]

What’s the secret of comedy?

Oldie but goodie

[Oakboy]

What’s the secret of comedy?

Eddie Jones?

[Digby]

Minute 25

A scrum is formed, and only that

[Digby]

Minute 26

England win the ball, the go open/left and after a couple of passes Daly booms the ball clear, so far clear it's out on the full and we've given up 40m for free

SA win the lineout, make a few passes and fumble the ball, scrum England