RugbyRebels

Minute 1

SA kickoff with a lowish trajectory into the England 22 on England's right. May catches and sets off just back outside the England 22, Youngs doesn't have the kicking position he wants so Marler carries to set another ruck and Youngs kicks clear. The kick to be fair is utter, utter tripe, it's miles too long and lands almost in the middle of the pitch not down the 5m corridor, there's no possible defence of such a truly shit skill execution

Some on the SA side catches the kick and sends a bad kick back toward the England 22, Daly misses the catch as do SA and the ball is allowed to bounce. Fiji would mock the level of professionalism shown opening 30 seconds

Kriel goes to gather but kicks the ball by accident and then gathers at the 2nd attempt, I suppose it's not dry, but things are not improving

SA run two phases which quickly sees them back in their own half rather than into England's 22, all their own work with bad handling but it's still not impressive viewing

SA 6 decides passing is for muppets and lifts his knees on a run toward the England 22, Faf collects from the base and sends a high kick into the England 22

Minute 2

May catches, calls a mark and then makes a quick(ish) tap and go bt gets caught just outside the 22. Sinckler tries to set a more positive carry and we nearly face a scrum turnover, but the ball is back and Youngs makes another kick, again too far, and again too far infield but at least inside the 15 this time.

SA take a catch set a ruck and Faf sends the ball back, Hughes takes the catch (just) and is tackled down

Minute 3

The ball isn't where Youngs wants it for a clearing kick so Sinckler sets another ruck, we don't try to play out, so much so it's a 9 second ruck, Youngs kicks clear and this one isn't great but at least avoids being rank bad.

SA run a couple of phases and Green 1 makes some nice metres on a pick up the middle when Cips and Curry vacate the space behind the tackle without telling anyone, or at least George and Marler keep the same gap either side and it's way too easy. That said there's no huge danger as whilst SA made some ground pushing our defence back there's 7 seconds before Green 8 picks up at the base. Our 9 second ruck was bad enough but that was getting set for an exit play and not in theory being on attack

Green 8 carries into Launch, maybe some ground won but there are 4 Green players into the ruck for just 1 white and they can't have options following that, ball kicked down into the England 22 near May's touchline, about as good as Green 10 could do

May clears off his left peg

Minute 4

SA win the lineout but are driven back in the maul, England pinged for knifing in to bring the whole thing down

Minute 5

SA miss the 3 points

Minute 6

Farrell restarts 'cause he's hard. It's a long kick into their half, Green 15 runs the ball back and passes to Green 7. Slade rips the ball from Green 7 and then kicks the ball away, badly

It's not simply a bad kick by Slade,it's that we didn't even look at what we could do with turnover ball but again just kicked it away, and even if it was a good kick SA had a 13/2 split of players on the field and I'd fancy a decent team would have at least forced a scramble that saw the ball moved to the side of the field defended by 2 players.

Instead Kriel catches the ball and is tackled, and then England are pinged for going off their feet

Minute 7

SA have their lineout just past the England 10m line

SA try to set a maul and it's halted, Robshaw is told to get out and loops back around to the openside where he's in position to scrag Green 2 breaking off before SA lose the ball. Green 9 and 11 are able to get over the ball and have it recycled, George really should get a better position going into that ruck, at the very least it's a chance to clatter a back and let them know rucks hurt but it's just a bit nice/insipid from England (basically he's channeling his inner Hartley)

I'm pretty sure the ref says the ball is out (watching with sound off to be spared commentary) but England are very slow to react, and the ball does look out. SA run a couple more phases going nowhere and then Green 10 chips the ball over our line down the middle into our 22

Gods, I pity you doing this. I normally really enjoy these threads (same reason as Ragg's ruck marks - I miss so much first time round), but I won't blame you if you decide not to sit through this turd again.

Puja

I love it. So many little moments mentioned that i find i can recall from my rewatch, satisfies meet that I'm seeing the nuts and bolts better.

Minute 8

May carries the ball back well, all his own work. To ensure they thank him 5 England forwards make their way to where May is tackled rather than get into position, 2 of them fair enough, 3 maybe had we come under pressure, but 5 means 2-3 of the lazy bastards simply didn't want to work off the ball

Farrell takes a ball from the base down the shortside and kicks long into the SA 22 where the ball finds grass. George initially leads the chase but is soon caught by Faz, say what you will of Faz the boy does put in a shift. Green 10 a left footed kicker gather the ball and rather than clear makes a pointless pass to Green 9 to clear off his left foot, that's just adding a pass where something cold go wrong for no reason.

Hughes catches the kick inside the England half and passes infield to May, May in turn makes a wobbly pass to Brown, Brown tucks the ball under one arms and seeks contact. However, Brown makes an offload from the floor, perhaps surprising Youngs and certainly surprising Cips who's too close to be an option for Youngs. Youngs passes to May who again carries, for little gain, and then Youngs sends the ball to Sinckler who shows nice hands to move the ball and put Maro into a hole. Green 2 makes the tackle on Maro but then makes no release in attempting to slow the ball and it's a pen to England in a very kickable position

Puja wrote:Gods, I pity you doing this. I normally really enjoy these threads (same reason as Ragg's ruck marks - I miss so much first time round), but I won't blame you if you decide not to sit through this turd again.

Puja

I'm cushioned by quite a bit of beer and wine for now

Minute 9

Nowt happens

Minute 10

Faz kicks the 3

SA restart long into England's 22, May makes the catch and skips past Green 12 using footwork and speed, then having used speed and footwork on a back May opts to use power on Green 1, May goes backwards in contact (he really isn't the sharpest tool). SA go off their feet but the ball is available so the ref sensibly ignores Green 5. Youngs kicks clear, and off the park halfway between our 10m line and 22

Minute 11

SA throw to Green 8 again, he's not the tallest lineout option, and you'd have to fancy he's not the easiest to lift either. Also he's marked by Itoje, and even though Itoje's lifters haven't lifted him much Itoje gets his stupidly long arms in the way and knocks the ball back on our side. Freakish play by Itoje who was being lifted at the back by George a short lad who had his elbows at right angles so limited was the lift and Itoje has his shuolders maybe a foot below Vermuelen who is being lifed at the rear by Green 7 who has straight arms and is somewhat taller than George.

The ball doesn't fall nicely for England and it's shoveled back until it's over the head of May who goes back to retrieve. There might be an argument the ball goes forward off May and only back with momentum given how it seems to work the other way.

England win the ruck from May's gather, just. I thought live someone might have tipped a Saffa player but actually Cips drives him back around the side with a minor leg lift and then one of his own players standing up shoots his leg up in the air.

Youngs sends a less than kind pass to Sinckler who does a reasonable job moving it on with Faf charging in , and SA are pinged for being offside. Daly clears up just past the England 10m line

(my family will now interrupt this review)

Minute 12

England win the lineout, drive a couple of metres and then once the last forward on the blindside is drawn in Youngs sets off down the shortside with May outside him having isolated Faf as the last man standing. It's good sharp play from Youngs but having been alert and broken well he does give the pass a little early to May, but May being May can outstrip Faf anway, and then I don't know whether to be harsh on Youngs but he isn't able to run a strong enough support/blocking, against which it is the much larger Green 7 who stops him making an effective block, that leaves May with less of an option to cut back inside and May kicks past the covering 10, and wit Green 7 having edged ahead of Youngs it's SA who reclaim the ball

Faf clears from the base

Yeah... Just wait until Vermulean is stealing our ball at will later...

Minute 13

Hughes takes he ball and then loops to the outside of Green 11 and then stops seemingly just 'cause Green 11 has a hold on his jersey. Why he's not simply handing off the wing or carrying him along in contact I don't know, but Hughes simply offloads without having done anything, I suppose he didn't literally drop the ball

May to Brown and he sets off across field and falls over. Rucs forms and Launch just gets Vermuelen off his feet, it's a much better position over the ball from Green 8 than us. One out ball to Sinckler, then Youngs to Cips and Cips puts Curry into a slight hole, but Curry is running short/hard onto the pass and knocks on.

Minute 14

The front rows given a chance to scrum ensure nothing happens

Minute 15

SA win the scrum under pressure, Green 10 kicks clear, Brown comes forward to claim the ball but slightly overruns and is having to go back as he makes the catch which makes him very easy to drive back in contact. England under pressure but SA get pinged at the breakdown, it's not an error they need to make, and Farrell clears the pen nearly up to the SA 10m line

Minute 16

England lose the lineout. I think SA work really hard to mark as many options as possible, Green 7 at the front on Maro, Green 4 on Launch, and then Green 5 is wandering up and down first pushing up as a 2nd marker on Launch and then dropping back to cover Robshaw. As Green 5 drops back it's possible that's when Launch calls the ball to himself but Green 7 reads it as he's up into the air before Launch and being more toward the front makes an easy intercept.

Maybe the throw wasn't a double top and thus didn't clear a contest at the front, but as much as anything it's just good play in lineout defence from SA

SA work the ball wide and make a nice kick down into the England half. Had they played on they'd have been short a 10 as he got a bump/shove from Curry after making his pass and he simply lay on the floor, frankly that's not good enough his team might have needed him on his feet actually working.

England win a very messy lineout and Sinckler goes back to claim the loose ball, England win the ruck

Minute 17

In fairness Youngs who no chance to do anything from the last 2 lineouts makes a good exit kick, ball stays in the 5m channel and it's contestable, and this is the harder side to clear as a right footed 9

Green 14 knocks on in contact, Brown makes contact just a little early but it's play on and England have the advantage but Youngs makes an iffy kick and it's advantage over, a fair call from the ref

Green 15 runs the ball back and bounces Slade, and gets past Farrell who's overun his cover across. SA move right and England come close to forcing a turnover but the ref calls it unplayable with Green going forwards

Minute 18

SA win the scrum, Green 8 picks up at the base and passes to Faf, Faf keeping up his form from last week passes to the invisible man. SA go backwards for 2 phases as they try to recover Faf's error and in the end Faf makes a clearing exit/box kick

Minute 19

Brown takes the kick and is tackled by Green 14, Green 14 gets back to his feet and contest the ball with nothing that looks like a clear release, and that starts England on a resourcing issue as Cips and Daly clear Green 14 rather than prevent counter rucking, Green 6 counter rucks Cips and then Green 14 is back as Maro arrives with Maro having to reach over Green 6, Green 3 joins Green 14 in pushing back Maro and their making headway and Brown is also now more than a little holding on. It's given as a pen to SA, but as a 9 that's not my idea of a release by Green 14

SA don't take the points and kick out into the England 22

Minute 20

SA win their lineout try to maul and knock the ball forward

Minute 21

Yes well

We win the scrum in so much as George strikes the ball back but SA apply pressure and Hughes is trying to still gather the ball as he sets off left from the scrum and gets knocked back by Faf. I wonder what the hope was going left from a scrum going backwards? Was Youngs supposed to get a block on Faf?

Brown and Farrell do well to keep SA from contesting the ball and Youngs gets a kick up outside the 22 and off the pitch

SA win the lineout and Green 6 throws a bit of a shit loopy pass to Green 12 and Curry tackles him, given how looped the pass was Curry is going to want to hit harder to win those contacts, SA go left and Cips stands in the way of the runner and then Itoje and Hughes try to force a ball held up maul turnover but SA get the ball to ground