Nick Mallett's verdict on the 45-21 Springbok win is a useful dual lens — critiquing England's selection conservatism while assessing how well the Boks actually performed. His central argument is that Borthwick's continued use of Pollock as an impact sub is fundamentally misreading the player: Mallett draws a direct comparison to how Erasmus handled Feinberg-Mngomezulu, insisting that elite young talent needs to start, not be protected from pressure. He believes England's loose trio would have been meaningfully stronger with Pollock from the first whistle, and that the 24-point margin flatters the Boks — England's recovery to 17-14 at half-time showing they were dangerous when given ball.
On the Bok side, Mallett is particularly effusive about Willemse, going as far as suggesting the Player of the Match award going to Damian de Allende may have been a case of mix-up — the wrong Damian. He rates the overall performance a 7-8 out of 10 and highlights the composure shown by debutant Paul de Villiers and Hanekom after the late withdrawal of Etzebeth and Kolisi, as well as the bench energy from Porthen, Wessels, and Dixon. Worth reading for Mallett's frank take on what the result actually revealed about both sides.