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South Africa 10 England 25: Eddie Jones’ job saved by Owen Farrell’s boot and Jonny May’s late try as Red Rose turn around six-game losing streak
23rd June 2018,
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HIRED in Cape Town – but not fired in Cape Town.
Eddie Jones survived his toughest week as England boss to save his job – for now.
Ending the South Africa series with a 2-1 defeat – Jones is still not out of the woods just yet, though, having overseen just one win in England's last seven.
The RFU's chairman Andy Cosslett is due to come out of hiding on Sunday to eventually address the Aussie's future.
Though that after-thought comes eight days after the Red Roses surrendered the series in Bloemfontein.
Jonny May's superb score – his third of the series and set up by a superb Danny Cipriani chip – was England's only try in this dogged win at Newlands.
Cipriani said: "Luckily there was probably only one winger in the world that could have scored that and it was Jonny.
"As he’s showed throughout this series, he’s absolutely rapid and you can push the boundary with him. He’s always asking for extra work in training and for those types of kicks.
"When you’ve got a winger that is that hungry then it’s all on him."
Though the victory will feel like a masterclass for a side who had forgotten how to win games.
It is a vital shot in the arm ahead of a daunting autumn against the Springboks, All Blacks, Australia and Japan.
At times it was comically bad – but at least England kept their heads for once.
Twelve stone Faf de Klerk – the smallest man on the pitch – even managed to drive 20 stone no.8 Nathan Hughes backwards as England got pinned in their own 22 during a nervy opening.
And Elliot Daly booted a touchline penalty kick out on the full as the shambles continued before they weathered the storm.
It wasn't until a superb Boks break launched by Jesse Kriel and Sibusiso Nkosi that the crowd had anything to get excited by – and that was with half an hour gone.
The monsoon-like conditions before kick-off had left the Newlands track soggy and slow as the rain rolled in off Table Mountain.
And as England soaked up more pressure 20-year-old openside Tom Curry was influential in some impressive turnovers to stop the floodgates fully opening and halt the green tidal wave.
Elton Jantjies closed the gap to just three points with a penalty on the stroke of halftime after Owen Farrell's two kicks at goal put Jones' side in front.
But Danny Cipriani went through the half having touched the ball just five times as it appeared that the fly-half's teammates wouldn't let him anywhere near the wet bar of soap.
It needed something to give and a huge scrum from Kyle Sinckler after the break got the Red Roses back on the scoreboard through another Farrell pen.
That just angered the Boks, though.
They broke through centre Kriel and as England tried to regroup Warrick Gelant spotted a gap and chipped through for Kriel to finish the move he started.
Jantjies was on target with the conversion as Rassie Erasmus' side crept ahead by a point.
Gelant then went from hero to villain as he was pinged at the breakdown allowing Farrell to re-take the lead with a 45m effort.
Farrell was back on kicking duties after Daly missed an attempt from the left and nailed a fifth three-pointer as Jones' side made the Boks pay for their errors.
After the two epic Tests in Johannesburg and Bloem the worst was definitely saved for last.
It was a miserable way to bring down the Test curtain at soon-to-be bulldozed Newlands.
Though Cipriani's magical cross-kick through to red-hot May will stand out as the only memorable moment.
But the Boks had already bashed England and this was just a dead-rubber.
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Under-fire Jones would have taken any win after a nightmare 2018 and May's heroics have been impressive in what has been a tragic tour.
Jones will now start plotting how on earth he is going to halt this bulldozing Boks side again at Twickenham in five month's time.
Oh, and then they take on both the All Blacks and Wallabies.
Jones is far from safe just yet and November will make or break his dodgy England career.
HIRED in Cape Town – but not fired in Cape Town.
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