Josh Raisey works through the England XV individually after their 45-21 loss in Johannesburg — their fifth straight Test defeat. The verdict is broadly damning: England were shell-shocked in the opening exchanges, fell off tackles, dropped ball, and conceded 17 unanswered points before finding their footing. Ben Earl (7.5) and George Martin (8) are the standout performers in a losing cause, with Martin's hour of grit and power on return from absence a genuine highlight. Fin Smith and Ollie Chessum also earn credit, while the back three — particularly Feyi-Waboso and a late-called-up Marcus Smith at fullback — struggled in the aerial battle against the Bok back three. Discipline remains England's recurring wound: yellow cards for Freeman and Pepper, a Heyes scrum penalty, and a Genge high tackle all feature. The ratings give Springbok supporters a granular picture of exactly where the world champions hurt England and where England found brief footing before the Boks pulled clear after the break.
England's Ellis Park capitulation dissected: who stood up, who didn't
Raisey rates every England player from the 45-21 Nations Championship loss at Ellis Park, with Ben Earl and George Martin the standouts in a losing side undone by a horror start, aerial vulnerability, and chronic discipline issues.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Nché injury concern headlining Bok casualty list ahead of Scotland clash at Loftus
Rassie Erasmus is sweating over the fitness of Ox Nché, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and André Esterhuizen ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship match against Scotland at Loftus, after all four picked up injuries during or before the 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park.
The Northampton blueprint: England's altitude cheat code for Ellis Park?
The piece asks whether Northampton and Bristol's recent Loftus wins give England a replicable blueprint for Ellis Park — and with six Saints players likely starting, Borthwick's side may be banking on exactly that altitude formula.
Watson: Kolbe is England's biggest headache — but Bok versatility is the real danger
Watson names Kolbe as England's biggest individual concern but argues the Boks' real edge is their ability to change tactical identity based on which fly-half starts — a flexibility that makes them uniquely hard to prepare for.
Smith vows England will 'leave it all out there' against Springboks
Marcus Smith says England's 36-man squad, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, are targeting a historic win over the Springboks in the Nations Championship opener, having trained in oxygen masks to prepare for the Highveld.