South Africa finished their year-end tour unbeaten, the first time in more than a decade a Springbok team achieved that feat, when they smashed a sorry-looking England side 42-6 at Twickenham on Saturday.

As at Cana of Galilee, the Springboks saved the best for last, turning two watery performances into rich, aromatic South African wine, full of the warm south at icy Twickenham.

Criticised for being lucky to win in Cardiff and lucky to win in Edinburgh, the Springboks handed Engtland their biggest defeat ever in nearly 90 years of Twickenham. Would anybody have expected it? Anybody at all? If anybody had predicted it, he would probably have been certified.

Afterwards Martin Johnson, bullied by an interviewer, said that his side had created opportunities but had not finished. They had not finished because of the adamantine Springboks defence and because their own flyhalf abandoned the sinking ship. Such a promising player, so much hope invested in him, but he came apart at Twickenham and in the end England were rudderless on a stormy sea.

Johnson described the result as brutal. For all of South Africa it was a glorious end to the tour and a glorious end to an unhappy week in which the Springboks again came under political pressure. There were 81 113 people at Twickenham, but a lot left before the end, not one of them a South African. Twickenham belonged to the South Africans and their heroes wandering round the field to thank their supporters.

It is a match that will go down in the annals of South African rugby as a great performance.

Who would have though it? And it happened despite playing a quarter of the match with only 14 men. Tendai Mtawarira was given a yellow card for his third infringement at a tackle and Conrad Jantjes was given a strange one for not getting out of the way of an England player chasing a kick.

Apart from conceding seven penalties at the tackle, the South Africans, clearly cautious, also conceded turnovers though they did win two vital ones of their own when the English were battering at the gate.

England kicked off with a short grubber. The South Africans got to the ball first but conceded their first tackle/ruck penalty and Danny Cipriani goaled from in front. England led 3-0 in less than a minute — not that the South Africans looked troubled.

Jantjes kicked the kick-off straight into touch and it seemed as if it were going to be one of those bumbling days but Phil Vickery was penalised for holding on and Ruan Pienaar goaled a straightforward kick. 3-3 after 5 minutes.

England got a five-metre scrum early on when Pierre Spies found an awkwardly bouncing ball difficult to control and then Jantjes had a clearing kick charged down. Bryan Habana got to the ball first but conceded a five-metre scrum. Not that Engtland looked like scoring as the Springboks broke out, JP Pietersen footing free and soon Ricky Januarie was at the England line, just unable to control a ball that Adi Jacobs had flung inside. This time Steve Borthwick conceded the five-metre scrum and this time the attacking side scored.

First Pienaar dashed forward. Quick ball and there was Danie Rossouw thundering though Cipriani, Riki Flutey and Jamie Noon to stretch out and score next to the upright. Pienaar converted. 10-3 to South Africa after 15 minutes. That is as close as England came.

Three minutes later they got a second try. England won a line-out and Cipriani kicked. For the first of three occasions his kick was charged down. Pienaar charged it down and ran to the gently bouncing ball and scored. He converted. 17-3 after 18 minutes.

England came within a whisker of scoring as Delon Armitage raced for the corner on his right but big Bakkies Botha came racing across, impeded the fullback's run and JP Pietersen, across from the right wing tackled him into touch. England won the subsequent line-out but again the Springboks coped with the attack and were the next to score when Tom Palmer was penalised at a tackle. 20-3 after 24 minutes.

England were now playing one-pass phases as they tried to use their forwards to bash but they seldom got ahead and more often were dumped back behind the advantage line but when Rossouw was penalised at a tackle, Cipriani goaled. 20-6 after 28 minutes. For the next 52 minutes England did not score, though to be fair they could have had they not eschewed easy kicks in search of tries.

Mtawarira was sin-binned but there was no scoring in his absence and the score stayed at half-time.

England had good chances to score. Paul Sackey whose hands throughout were rickety, had an overlap but De Villiers got him. Nick Easter was close and Danny Care closer. Sackey had a chance again but Schalk Burger and Habana stopped him. And the Springboks won a turnover and calmly booted the ball a long way down Twickenham's green and pleasant field.

James Hook was on but — he was not the only one guilty of this - he threw a woeful pass to his left and into touch. South Africa won the subsequent line-out going left. Pietersen came in and ran at Cipriani creating the initial breach and then he gave to Jacobs who cut back and raced at the line to score with Sackey unable to keep him out. 27-6 after 51 minutes.

England had a chance after a break by Care but Cipriani threw a long and impossible pass at Borthwick. Not only did it destroy the overlap but Borthwick knocked it on.

Gradually the South Africans emptied their bench to give all 22 a chance to savour the moment and that included a first cap for Heinrich Brüssow. The changes did not improve England's chances as time and again they kicked the ball out.

South Africa could well have scored — should have scored — when Frans Steyn broke through Cipriani and sent Habana flying. Habana gave to De Villiers but he was caught and a golden chance went begging.

England came back battering again at the Springbok line but Matt Stevens lost the ball a long way forward. Steyn picked up and hoofed the ball downfield. Sackey had a headstart but determined Jaque Fourie got the ball and raced for the line. Armitage attacked him. Fourie stumbled but got up and lunged over for a try. 37-6 with thee minutes to play.

Time was up when England a scrum feed. Twice they did not go down and the second time the referee free-kicked them. The Springboks spread the ball left with simple passing for Habana to dive over in the corner.

Man of the Match: Only Springboks are candidates and there are several of them — Jean de Villiers for his marshalling of the match-winning defences, Victor Matfield for winning the line-outs that mattered, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger, Ricky Januarie for his endeavours and our Man of the Match John Smit for his play and for the way he organised his team. He is now the most capped Springbok forward of all time, breaking Os du Randt's record and the great Os was in the Twickenham crowd to see it happen.

Moment of the Match: Bakkies Botha's stopping of Delon Armitage may well have set up victory. Adi Jacobs's try was exquisite but for the way defence became attack and for sheer determination our Moment of the match is Jaque Fourie's try from the moment that Matt Stevens knocked on.

Villain of the match: There was no malice in what Tendai Mtawarira did and certainly none in what Jantjes did but there may have been in James Haskell's swinging arm. But nobody was a villain.

The scorers:

For England:
Pens: Cipriani 2

For South Africa:
Tries: Rossouw, Pienaar, Jacobs, Fourie, Habana
Cons: Pienaar 3, Steyn
Pens: Pienaar 3

Yellow cards: Tendai Mtawarira (South Africa, 29 - off his feet at the tackle), Conrad Jantjes (South Africa, 64 - professional foul)

Teams:

England: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Danny Care, 8 Nick Easter, 7 Tom Rees, 6 James Haskell, 5 Tom Palmer, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 Phil Vickery, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Tim Payne.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Simon Shaw, 19 Tom Croft, 20 Jordan Crane, 21 Harry Ellis, 22 Toby Flood.

South Africa: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Adi Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Ruan Pienaar, 9 Ricky Januaries, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Danie Rossouw, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Brian Mujati, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Heinrich Brüssow, 21 Frans Steyn, 22 Jaque Fourie.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Touch judges: Alan Rolland (Ireland), Romain Poite (France)
TMO: Peter Allan (Scotland)

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