Springboks sign off 2022 in style with dominant win over England at Twickenham

South Africa banished their Twickenham demons with a commanding 27-13 victory over a thoroughly outplayed England side on Saturday night.

Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of 80 000, the Boks never allowed England - or their fans - to get into the match, effectively subduing both parties in what was a surprisingly one-sided contest - even after a late red card threw a bit of a spanner in the works.

In doing so, the Boks exacted a measure of revenge for their heartbreaking one-point losses at Twickenham in 2018 and 2021, and ensured their end-of-year tour ends on a high note with a first win at the venue since 2014.

Not even the red card to Thomas du Toit midway through the second half could spoil the Springbok party, as they were already 21 points clear at that point and there was no way they were going to let England come back from there.

As they'd already shown against France, a Springbok team playing with 14 men remains a dangerous prospect, and it proved no different this time around.

The game started with England enjoying an early spell of possession in the Springbok red zone, before Eben Etzebeth won a vital turnover to snuff out the attack.

Entrusted with the kicking duties, Faf de Klerk was given an early shot at goal after the Boks won a penalty from their first scrum of the game, but his kick was away to the left.

It was a nervy start from both sides, and when England were given a first shot of their own after the Boks were caught offside, Owen Farrell missed a sitter from right in front.

Farrell didn't have to wait long to make amends, however, as he slotted one over after a penalty that went their way at scrum time.

The Boks' first real attacking opportunity inside the England 22 came after nearly 17 minutes, and ended with a penalty right in front for a head-high tackle on Evan Roos, and this time De Klerk made no mistake.

South Africa gave away another penalty when England made a foray into their territory shortly after, but Farrell was off target again with a fairly simple kick.

The Boks were soon back on the attack in the England red zone after choosing to kick for the corner rather than take the points on offer, leading to several penalties and a warning against England for repeated infringements, but there were cheers all around from the men in white after they managed to get Siya Kolisi held up over the line.

The match continued to progress in a very subdued fashion but was given a little life when Damian Willemse dropped in the pocket and slotted a drop goal, giving the Boks at least some reward for a lengthy period of pressure.

But with eight minutes to go before the break, the match finally got the spark it needed via a brilliant Springbok try.

It was Damian Willemse who beat his man from inside the Boks' 22 and broke free up the field, stepping inside and offloading to Willie le Roux, who had the speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse to pass to for a spectacular length-of-the-field score. Arendse still had work to do but went inside and outside before leaving Marcus Smith for dead.

Incredibly, the Boks were nearly in again moments later from another Willemse attack that started inside their own 22, but this time a grubber kick from Arendse saw the move come to an end.

It was all South Africa now as the first half winded down and the Boks were soon back in the England danger zone, where they opted to slot an easy three-pointer to take a 14-3 lead into half-time.

The second half started with more Springbok pressure, with Willemse again opting to go for the drop goal and slotting it straight over to extend the visitors' lead to 14 points.

That was followed by tensions boiling over in the middle of the pitch and a bit of a scuffle, leading to a warning from the referee for both teams.

England desperately needed a lift and they got it after an unforced error from the Boks handed them some possession in a dangerous area. That was followed by a rare line break as they put the Springbok defence under some serious pressure. The end result was an England penalty, which Farrell slotted over to reduce the deficit.

But then came more disaster for England. A penalty that went their way was overturned after Jonny Hill lost his temper with Faf de Klerk. That put the Boks straight back on the attack with a kick for the corner, leading to another penalty going their way and a yellow card to flanker Tom Curry.

The Boks didn't let up and stayed on the attack, going for another line-out and another rolling maul, with the try eventually coming after several powerful drives when Etzebeth crashed over from right in front to further silence an already subdued Twickenham crowd.

The South Africans' stranglehold on the match continued, underlined by some serious forward dominance, and when De Klerk was given another chance to take a shot at goal, he slotted it over from distance to extend their lead even further.

Some great interplay between Le Roux and Arendse nearly had the speedster in for another try, but the England defence held firm.

Unfortunately for the Boks, their great day at the office was spoiled somewhat when the TMO spotted a shoulder charge from Thomas du Toit to the head of an England player. The referee wasted little time in handing out the red card, leaving the Boks to survive the final 20 minutes with 14 men.

Suddenly it was all England, with the men in white launching attack after attack inside the Springbok 22 - though two stolen line-outs and a spectacular steal from Malcolm Marx saw their efforts thwarted again and again.

England kept coming, however, and did finally get some reward when a great break from Jack Nowell led to a try for Henry Slade, as the Bok defence finally relented after 72 minutes.

But time was running out, and the Boks were in no mood to relinquish the 14-point lead they still enjoyed, as they comfortably held on for the impressive win with 14 men to sign off for the year in fine style.

And as the curtain fell on 2022, the Boks look well-placed to mount a very serious defence of the Webb Ellis Cup when they travel to France next year.

England - Tries: Henry Slade. Conversions: Owen Farrell. Penalties: Owen Farrell (2). Yellow cards: Tom Curry.

South Africa - Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Eben Etzebeth. Conversions: Faf de Klerk. Penalties: Faf de Klerk (3). Drop goals: Damian Willemse (2). Red cards: Thomas du Toit.