It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fun. But England leave Perth for Melbourne this morning with a win over South Africa’s battering Boks proudly notched on their World Cup belts.
The watching Prince Harry may be third in line for his mum’s throne. After this ugly triumph, England are at least one step up the ladder from there when it comes to the pecking order for the global crown in Sydney on November 22.
All the months of training, all those clouds of hot air couldn’t quite prepare the world’s best side for the pure ferocity of the South Africans.
But with South African Louis Koen missing four penalties, Jonny Wilkinson landed a perfect 20 points from four penalties, a conversion and two late drop goals.
England centre Will Greenwood scored the decisive try 15 minutes from time after Lewis Moody charged down a kick from the unfortunate Koen.
Martin Johnson said: ”It could have gone differently if they’d kicked those goals. Charging down the kick for the try, that was the turning point.”
That’s how close it was.
But with Corne Krige’s madmen tearing at them, in a ”who let the Boks out” bloodlust, the iron discipline didn’t slip, the sheer professionalism shone through.
You can sleep comfortably in your beds tonight, knowing these Englishmen will go to any lengths to bring home the first big World Cup since 1966.
Yup, we all wish it had been a classic. South Africans might even feel hard done by. They normally do. And bemused Australians will be asking: ”What the hell was that all about”.
It’s about being the best in the world, cobber.
South African captain Krige said: ”We did what we wanted to do in the first half. We got good possession. But they showed they were world class. We’re not out of the World Cup yet.”
Those first 40 minutes were hell.
During the anthems, 14 of the 30 photgraphers were facing he wrong way, snapping Prince Harry in the stands as the Barmy Army belted out ”God Save the Queen”. No offence meant, Hal.
The photographers must have known something we didn’t as the first half and much of the second produced little in the way of spectacular action.
There were agonised groans when perfect Jonny’s first touch kick come off the side of his left boot. He went on to struggle with his kicking all night – except when he was going for the posts, when he became his normal metronomic self.
Australian referee Peter Marshall gave Wilko his first chance after just three minute. Boom.
But soon the Boks were doing what they do best. Hitting Englishmen as hard as they possibly could. At pace.
England’s first big surge came eight minutes in with Mike Tindall and Josh Lewsey breaking the line before Neil Back attempted a bizarre drop goal attempt. He did it once against Italy some years ago, but this one was greeted with astonished gasps.
Robinson was on the run against soon after, making 35 yards before Josh Lewsey and Ben Cohen put Mike Tindall away, only for Joe van Niekerk to make the despairing tackle in the corner. Just.
The South Africans finally escaped from their own half with a morale boosting rolling maul.
Then Lewsey spilled a high kick and England were under pressure. They kept the Boks at bay until a penalty for playing the ball on the ground was landed from a nasty angle by South Africa’s kicker Koen to level at 3-3 after 18 bone-crushing but ultimately frustrating minutes.
Koen was gifted a second penalty for off-side as England failed to heed referee Marshall’s warnings. This one dropped just under the cross bar. Phew.
Marshall offered Wilkinson a second penalty after 28 minutes, a much tougher effort just seven hards from touch. Boom, 6-3.
Then came Koen’s nightmare ten minutes.
He missed two in a minute from 40 yards, one fading under the bar, the other htting it.
And with Marshall getting increasingly flustered, hemissed a third to the left of the posts.
Then an awful mistake. Will Greenwood took Koen’s missed penalty and forgot to dot it down, simply throwing it forward. Scrum to South Africa right on England’s line.
England held out, but Marshall awarded a fourth penalty, this one for an early tackle from Phil Vickery, who was lucky to escape without a card.
A minute before half-time, Koen, from just 25 yards out, landed it off the inside of the near post to equalise at 6-6.
Once more, had endured a half where Wilko’s boot was all that kept England in it. If Koen could kick, South Africa would have been 12 points up. If.
Wilko started the second half with another kick which failed to make touch.
But Lewsey, Cohen and Robinson enjoyed a bit of early running which left South Africa offside and gifted Wilkinson his third penalty from 20 metres, 9-6 after 42 minutes.
Then near-disaster as a Thinus Delport run down the left saw Bakkies Botha go clear but little Robinson shuffled him in to touch with England teetering.
Greenwood made a wonderful relieving kick but England were getting out-muscled again.
Then echoes of the Boer War. Jason Robinson took a big up-and-under and was clattered late by De Wet Barry.
Unfazed, Robinson produced a kick which Jacko van der Westhuyzen fumbled. From the scrum, England lost momentum until big Ben Cohen shoved his way to seven yards from the line and the South Africans were forced off side again.
Wilkinson completed the formalities to make it 12-6 after 50 minutes.
South Africa had a great chance to score right from the restart as De Wet Barry missed a wonderful opportunity with two men outside him, with huge groans from the South Africans in the 38 848 crowd.
England were continually giving up possession to the South Aricans, perhaps missing the hamstrung veteran Richard Hill in the loose. They weren’t helped by the continual bleeding from a sizeable hold in Back’s head.
Bravely the Leicester man battled on, claret all over the place.
By now, England were getting shoved back in the scrums. These were worrying times. Times when big men stand up to be counted.
Sadly, all the big men seemed to be wearing green.
Martin Johnson was anonymous. Mike Tindall nearly gave away a try wih an intercepted pass. Back and Cohen both tried ridiculous little chips which simply gave the ball back to the Boks.
With 20 minutes left, neither side looked likely to produce the elusive try on a night which was hardly a great advert for the game in this non-rugby city.
With 20 to go, both sides were propelling aimless kicks up and down the field. Where were Robinson’s dancing shoes? Whatever happened to Cohen’s finishing power?
In the end, the big break came from Lewis Moody. He charged down Koen’s attempted clearance and Will Greenwood kicked ahead like a footballer to score his 28th England try. Wilko converted and at 19-6 with 15 to play, lucky, lucky England suddenly found themselves in control of a game they never dominated.
Poor Koen. His four missed penalties were bad enough. Add the charged down kick and it all ended in ears for the 28-year-old from Pretoria, whop was soon replaced by Derick Hougaard.
Now of course, England’s scrum was holding up nicely. And Wilkinson was even finding touch. Hurrah.
Then a lovely brak from Cohen, the ball was recycled to Wilkinson and boom! Drop goal to make it 22-6 with 67 minutes gone.
Needing two converted tries to win it, South African heads began to drop. Willemse dropped a pass. Green-shirted fans began to disappear into the cool Perth night.
With four to go and Jason Leonard on for his 113th international cap (108 for England), Wilkinson landed another drop goal and England were out of sight, 19 points ahead.
A wonderful driving tackle from Greenwood shoved Botha two yards backwards as the South African desperately sought a late try. Then the immense Dallaglio snatched possession and England were safe.
Now it’s on to Melbourne and tricky Samoa next Sunday. Then Uruguay in Brisbane. Then, probably, Wales in the quarter-finals.
Poor old South Africa. They’ll probably get New Zealand in the last eight. Couldn’t happen to a better bunch of blokes