England rout sorry Springboks

Greenwood grabbed two tries for England

By James Standley BBC Sport Online at Twickenham

England 53-3 South Africa

England completed a hat-trick of wins over the southern hemisphere giants with a resounding victory over the Springboks.

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The visitors were long odds to win the match at Twickenham even with a full complement of players.

  Match facts

England:
Tries: Cohen, Greenwood (2), Back, Hill, Dallaglio, penalty try.
Conversions: Wilkinson, Dawson, Gomarsall, Stimpson; Penalties: Wilkinson (2).

South Africa:
Penalty: Pretorious

And once they lost Jannes Labuschagne after 23 minutes they were always going to go the way of New Zealand and Australia.

England scored tries through Ben Cohen, Will Greenwood (2), Neil Back, Richard Hill, Lawrence Dallaglio and a penalty try.

Jonny Wilkinson, Matt Dawson and replacements Andy Gomarsall and Tim Stimpson kicked the rest of the hosts' points.

On top of the world

All South Africa had to show in reply was a solitary penalty from Andre Pretorius.

In the wars

The hosts took the lead when South Africa were penalised for holding on after Wilkinson hoisted a massive kick into the heavens.

England's win in pictures

Wilkinson slotted the easy penalty and England increased their lead after 20 minutes when Cohen stretched over following a superb Dawson break from the base of the scrum.

For once Wilkinson, tight to the touchline, failed to add the extras and he was soon in the wars as Labuschagne took him out late after the England fly-half had cleared his lines.

Tindall gets to grips with Greef

The South African second row was shown the red card and England immediately piled the pressure on the short-handed Boks.

Greenwood pirouetted over from Wilkinson's inside pass and, with just half-an-hour gone, England were stretching clear.

Wilkinson's conversion took the score to 15-0 and, although England handed Pretorious the chance to get the Springboks on the board, Wilkinson replied in kind just before the break.

Greenwood ensured England started the second half as they finished the first, dummying over in the corner, and Dawson converted from the touchline as Wilkinson was helped off nursing his shoulder.

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England were awarded a penalty try on the hour after Phil Christophers was clothes-lined two yards short, with Gomarsall converting.

Back then scored a typical try from a rolling maul and with Gomarsall converting England had their highest score against the Boks.

Hill touched down and Stimpson converted as England continued to rub it in before Dallaglio popped the ball over the line to bring up the half-century.

Stimpson converted on the final whistle to round off England's crushing victory.

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England: Robinson, Cohen, Greenwood, Tindall, Christophers, Wilkinson, Dawson, Leonard, Thompson, Vickery, Johnson, Kay, Moody, Back, Hill. Replacements: Regan, Morris, Grewcock, Dallaglio, Gomarsall, Healey, Stimpson.

South Africa: Greeff, Paulse, Fleck, James, Lombard, Pretorius, Conradie, Roux, Dalton, Carstens, Labuschagne, A. Venter, Krige, Wannenburg, van Niekerk. Replacements: van Biljon, C. van der Linde, Wentzel, Uys, Jordaan, Jacobs, Russell.

Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)