5 Players who Impressed: England 20-29 South Africa - Autumn Nations Series

England ignited the evening with a try after just three minutes, as Marcus Smith set off on a searching run. The Harlequin slipped the tackle of Eben Etzebeth and Ox Nche, before Henry Slade shipped a pass to Ollie Sleightholme, for a try in the corner. However, the Springboks soon returned fire, as some individual brilliance from Grant Williams turned Freddie Steward inside out for the equalising try after 12 minutes.

South Africa then grabbed their second try, as their titanic forwards Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit charged down two consecutive England clearance kicks. Du Toit was quickest to react, and grounded the ball that had rolled over the try-line. Manie Libbok then stepped up for the Boks third try, as his cross-field kick found Cheslin Kolbe, and the wing skipped past Steward and then scampered over the whitewash.

Sam Underhill shone on his own return to England colours, as the back row battered his way through Bongi Mbonambi for a try mid-way through the first half. Some neat place kicking of Marcus Smith narrowed the deficit to just two points, and the teams split for half-time with the score-line reading 19-17 to South Africa.

Two tries were disallowed early in the second half, with Kurt-Lee Arendse and Henry Slade both seeing their names scrubbed off the score-sheet. Kolbe would race away for his second try just after the hour mark, as he turned Ollie Sleightholme on his heels before the dive over the line. Gerhard Steenekamp was sent to the sin bin, as the replacement Springbok prop was illegally interfering in the line-out.

If there was ever a performance that optimised 'a game of two halves', it was that of England fullback Freddie Steward. The Leicester Tigers man was called upon to dominate the areal battle against the kick trigger happy Springboks, yet had a horror start to his return to Test match action. Steward was turned inside out by Grant Williams, with the scrum half showcased his individual brilliance on the way to score, after skipping past Ellis Genge and George Martin's double tackle attempt.

Steward would later miss a tackle on Cheslin Kolbe, as the Springbok wing collected an inch-perfect cross-field kick from Manie Libbok. Kolbe stepped off his side-line and left Steward clutching at the Twickenham turf, as the fullback slid past the speedster who strolled over to score. Steward would return with a punch, as he collected the high balls and ran hard and direct at the buckling wall of green and gold. Steward would go on to make multiple top class catches, with his 35th minute win standing out. Steward then chipped the ball down-field, for Tommy Freeman to chase with Manie Libbok in pursuit.

England fans thought Steward had completed his redemption arc, as after a miserable first 40 minutes, he provided the assist to Henry Slade's score in the corner. However, the Chiefs man would have his try chalked off, after Maro Itoje was penalised for a croc roll on Malcolm Marx in the proceeding ruck. Steward stepped up and found his form for the second half, with impressive areal battles won in his man clashes with Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse.

Dutifully awarded Player of the Match for his high-octane effort, Cheslin Kolbe was at his high flying best for the Springboks in their win at the Allinaz. Kolbe's afternoon commenced with his aforementioned cross-field kick collection, before snapping the side-step and scuttling past a cascading Freddie Steward. Kolbe cruised deep into England's in-goal area, with the positioning for his try helping Manie Libbok nail the conversion, after a shakier start from the tee.

Kolbe's quickstepping efforts was a highlight reel on the front foot, with the scrum-cap donning speedster slipping through England's defensive line time and again. A stand out step saw Kolbe shuffle past Jamie George, with the tricky winger utilising the square footage of a phone box to evade the tackle of the England captain.

Kolbe would again stretch his legs for his second try, as he ran on to the break of Damien de Allende for a try shortly after the hour mark. Kolbe recieved the ball out wide, and stepped back inside past the tackle attempt of Ollie Sleightholme. Kolbe's second try was eerily reminiscent of his try against England in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, as he flew past a tackle and exploded along the touchline for a diving score in the corner. Like Steward, Kolbe impressed under the high ball, with the stand out catch being a juggled pick out of the air from Handre Pollard's cross-field kick.

Sam Underhill was excellent upon his return to the England team, as the Bath man impressed in what was his first on-field minutes of the Autumn Nations Series. After being unused in the two defeats to New Zealand and Australia, Underhill was said to have been 'frustrated' by his head coach Steve Borthwick, with the back row coming out at the Allianz with a full head of steam against South Africa.

Underhill was over for an impressive try, after a powerful break from George Martin set the tone in the close-quarter carrying. Underhill powered over the top of Springbok prop Bongi Mbonambi, and the flanker could not be contained by Ox Nche, before he extended out an arm to ground the try. Underhill was one of the top options for England on the front foot ball, with the Bath man linking up with Marcus Smith for some short and sharp carries over the hard to dent gain-line.

Underhill was also as impressive upon the defensive side of the ball, with a 30th minute turnover at the breakdown made possible by Tommy Freeman's earlier hit on Grant Williams. Underhill was a player at the heart of England's defensive effort, and despite not starring in the two previous fixtures of the Autumn, Underhill has put his hand up for England's starting XV to face Japan next weekend, and following that into the 2024 Six Nations.

Underhill and Ben Earl combined rather efficiently on the front foot, with the back row brothers in arms often seen linking up for a good old fashioned crash ball, in the highly physical contest. The tandem carries were interchangeable between the Bath and Saracens hard-hitters, with Underhill's efforts receiving a resounding ovation upon his 66th minute withdrawal.

Once again in our shortlist of the top five performers of the Allianz on-field action, Marcus Smith was as impressive as ever in his 80 minute effort. Not withdrawn this week, as George Ford remained on the bench, with the Harlequin looking irreplaceable as he commanded the England back-line. Earlier this week Siya Kolisi spoke about how Smith 'makes things happen around him', and the fly half certainly did that in the build up to Ollie Sleightholme's early try.

Smith swept well in the kick-heavy contest, and managed to pick out the space in the Springbok back-field, and send some neat kicks into dangerous areas. Smith made full use of having the likes of Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman outside of him, and the Harlequin stubbed some chips into the back-field for his wings to chase. Smith once again had a strong day from the kicking tee, as he nailed an assortment of penalties and conversions, to keep his side's scoreboard ticking over nicely.

Smith was solid in his ball distribution to the heavy hitting forwards, as he unleashed the likes of Sam Underhill into little pockets of space. Smith held firm in this hard-fought battle, as the South Africans flew at him with a high-pressing defensive line. The fly half shrugged off the late clattering with Aphelele Fassi, as his static strength left the fullback looking rather foolish as he picked himself up off the deck. Smith took a handful of heavy hits this afternoon, with the last shot from his South African namesake Kwagga Smith causing the Allianz faithful to wince at the missile like shot.

It was a close call between whether Pieter-Steph du Toit or Eben Etzebeth took this spot, as the two South African forwards through around their impressive frames with a significant impact. However, due to the litany of line-out penalties given away by Etzebeth in the latter stages, du Toit gets our nod, coupled with his pivotal try as the Springboks gained momentum.

The try began with Etzebeth's charge down on Jack van Poortvliet's box kick, with Smith frantically scrambled in defence to clear the ball. Du Toit be-lined down on the Harlequin and blocked the exit attempt, before reacting to the loose ball and diving in the in-goal area for an important five points. Du Toit was ever present in defence, with some clattering hits made on the likes of England's heavy hitters Ollie Lawrence and Maro Itoje.

Rounding off out picks for the top five players this evening, Tommy Freeman had a storming game on the wing for England. There was the added anticipation of Freeman to shine under the high ball, with the Northampton Saints man showcasing his talents to rise high and claim the areal wins against the Springboks. Freeman was equally switched on when it came to nailing a player after catching the high ball, as he timed his hit on Fassi to perfection after the fullback gathered a kick at 30 minutes in.

This hit sent the Springbok into touch, with the force being so much that Fassi even spilt the ball in the collision. Freeman provided a second monstrous hit that sent Grant Williams to the deck, before Sam Underhill could muscle his way over the top of the breakdown and win a turnover. Freeman and Libbok would later engage in a brilliant foot-race, with the Saints man left infuriated after the ball bounced into touch off the back of the Springbok's last touch.

The escort law came into fruition this evening, with Jesse Kriel penalised for stepping in the way of Freeman's track down of a kick. The Saints man was amongst England's best pursuers of the high ball, and the Springbok centre took a tactical foul to halt Freeman's chase against the run of play. The penalty would prove to be worth while, as Smith sent the following kick clean through the uprights for a lead at the 50 minute mark.

Tries: 2 (Sleightholme 4', Underhill 26')

Conversions: 2 (Smith 4', 26',)

Penalties: 2 (Smith 15', 52')

Drop Goals: 0

Yellow Cards: 0

Red Cards: 0

15. Freddie Steward 14. Tommy Freeman 13. Ollie Lawrence 12. Henry Slade 11. Ollie Sleightholme 10. Marcus Smith 9. Jack van Poortvliet 1. Ellis Genge 2. Jamie George 3. Will Stuart 4. Maro Itoje 5. George Martin 6. Chandler Cunningham-South 7. Sam Underhill 8. Ben Earl

Replacements: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie 17. Fin Baxter 18. Dan Cole 19. Nick Isiekwe 20. Alex Dombrandt 21. Harry Randall 22. George Ford 23. Tom Roebuck

SOUTH AFRICA: 29

Tries: 4 (Williams 12', du Toit 18', Kolbe 22', 63')

Conversions: 3 (Libbok 12', 22', Pollard 63')

Penalties: 1 (Pollard 58')

Drop Goals:

Yellow Cards: 1 (Steenekamp 68')

Red Cards: 0

15. Aphelele Fassi 14. Cheslin Kolbe 13. Jesse Kriel 12. Damian de Allende 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse 10. Manie Libbok 9. Grant Williams 1. Ox Nche 2. Bongi Mbonambi 3. Wilco Louw 4. Eben Etzebeth 5. RG Snyman 6. Siya Kolisi 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit 8. Jasper Weise

Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx 17. Gerhard Steenekamp 18. Vincent Koch 19. Elrigh Louw 20. Kwagga Smith 21. Cobus Reinach 22. Handre Pollard 23. Lukhanyo Am