England lose 45-21 to South Africa in Nations opener

England suffered a 45-21 defeat to South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, extending their losing streak to five consecutive Test matches. The loss marked England's opening fixture in the inaugural Nations Championship.

The Springboks raced into a 17-0 lead within the first 12 minutes at Ellis Park. England fought back to trail 17-14 before halftime and were within 10 points with 12 minutes remaining, but South Africa pulled away late. The visitors' task was complicated by second-half yellow cards shown to Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper, which reduced them to 13 men. England conceded 13 penalties to South Africa's six.

Head coach Steve Borthwick addressed the team's discipline and other shortcomings in a post-match briefing. He described Freeman's high tackle as unfortunate and not malicious, while noting that Pepper's infraction came under the pressure South Africa consistently applies. Borthwick stated that some young players would learn from the experience of facing the world's best team.

He also highlighted South Africa's dominance in the aerial contest as a critical factor, crediting their effective contestable kicking game. Borthwick pointed to periods of positive play,...