Toothless “lions” lose again

England 14 - South Africa 25

Coach Andy Robinson's future looks increasingly bleak after his struggling England side slumped to their eighth defeat in nine games on Saturday. A Mark Cueto try and three Andy Goode penalties saw the world champions hold a 14-3 advantage after 30 minutes. But South Africa led 16-14 at the break after two Andre Pretorius penalties and a barrelling CJ van der Linde try. After the interval Pretorius, who had landed a first-half drop-goal, slotted three more to clinch victory.

It had all started so well for England, who were looking to add to their 23-21 win over South Africa last weekend. They started much better than the Boks, with three Goode penalties helping them into a 9-3 lead.

They looked sharp, the ball zipping down the line and giving Newcastle centre Mathew Tait several chances to take on the defence. One fine pass from the 20-year-old put Ben Cohen in space, but the Northampton winger was hauled down.England eventually created a chance for Goode to drop at goal, but he hooked the ball wide.

It took South Africa 26 minutes to mount their first serious attack, a knock-on halting a promising move started by a Ricky Januarie break. - BBC