England 20-29 South Africa: Groundhog-day defeats keep stacking up
Jack Van Pultfleet has been here before.
Two years ago, his face appeared on the big screen at Twickenham as England defenders huddled under the posts.
New Zealand wing Dalton Papali’i just caught a pass. A canter gave New Zealand a seven-run lead.
This time it was a kick. Eben Etzebeth loomed like a skyscraper as he charged down Van Poortvliet to give South Africa a free try and prick England’s hopes ’s start.
It felt like it was all his fault. This is not the case.
England’s forwards left him unprotected and vulnerable. His deputy Marcus Smith had a chance to clear the ball and also found the South African’s torso.
Eventually, the mistakes add up.
Despite England’s undoubted grit and energy, they have been continually undermined by mistakes this autumn. The foundation of a promising team always seems to crumble due to their own mistakes.
They come from all areas of the team and participate in various competitions with different appearances.
The cross-line and drop-off between Harry Randall and George Ford was most evident against New Zealand.
Against Australia, England’s failure to secure a kick-off in the final over – with Joseph Okuso-Suali disturbing Maro Itoje – was key. But a botched move in midfield also brought on Andrew Kellaway.
Ben Earl missed a crucial tackle on Damian de Allende before England’s hopes of a comeback were thwarted by Luke Cowan-Dickie’s hasty throw-in against South Africa and Itoje’s challenge was shattered, but instead of going forward, they were caught by the backline. A promising collapse.
These are personal moments, perhaps the most striking. But you can choose more.
After suffering three consecutive home defeats for the first time since 2006, the spotlight certainly shouldn’t be on Van Pultfleet.
It must also extend to the sidelines to absorb options and systems.
