South Africa vs England LIVE
England opened their Nations Championship campaign with a heavy 45-21 defeat by South Africa at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday. Steve Borthwick’s men faced the world champions for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, where the Springboks eked to a 16-15 victory.
Here, they started with a bang, running in three scores inside 13 minutes. Thomas du Toit opened the scoring, before Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse added their names to the scorecard in an ugly opening 20 minutes for the visitors, who had been run ragged. Arendse was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on halfway through the first period, and England rallied, scoring through Ellis Genge and George Martin before the break.
But upon the two sides’ return, the hosts were ruthless in their dispatching of their opponents. Grant Williams extended the lead on 44 minutes, before Jesse Kriel ran in another. Malcolm Marx powered over for another late on, after Alex Coles had given England a glimmer of hope. Up next for Borthwick’s side is a trip to Liverpool to face Fiji next week.
South Africa vs England latest updates
- TRY! Kriel scores another
- TRY! Williams adds bonus point
- TRY! Martin powers over
- TRY! Genge scores for England
- TRY! Arendse adds third
FT: South Africa 45-21 England
18:33 , Oli Gent
There we have it. What a stunning performance from the Boks, who open their Nations Championship with a magnificent victory.Back to the drawing board for Borthwick.
Try! South Africa 45-21 England
18:30 , Oli Gent
80 mins: The world champions have another, and it’s Dixon who dives over the whitewash.
South Africa 38-21 England
18:24 , Oli Gent
77 mins: Ewels is on for Coles.
Try! South Africa 38-21 England
18:23 , Oli Gent
76 mins: South Africa have another, with the driving maul hurtling towards the line. Marx is the one that touches down, and Kolbe converts once more.
South Africa 31-21 England
18:21 , Oli Gent
75 mins: Another yellow! Pepper is gone too for an early tackle off the ball! England down to 13.
South Africa 31-21 England
18:20 , Oli Gent
72 mins: Yellow card! Freeman is sent to the bin after he catches his man with a high tackle, shoulder to head.
Try! South Africa 31-21 England
18:16 , Oli Gent
69 mins: England try and grind their way to the line, as Slade comes in with a brave, clever line. Alex Coles is the one to bundle over as Smith converts.
South Africa 31-14 England
18:14 , Oli Gent
67 mins: Oh, and Henry Pollock is on, if you didn’t hear the cacophony of boos around Ellis Park Stadium.
South Africa 31-14 England
18:13 , Oli Gent
65 mins: Esterhuizen and Wessels are on for Wiese and Steenekamp.
Opoku-Fordjour comes on for Heyes.
South Africa 31-14 England
18:07 , Oli Gent
61 mins: Penalty, South Africa. The scrum collapses, and the hosts have a chance to kick for touch once more.
Try! South Africa 31-14 England
18:05 , Oli Gent
59 mins: The Springboks are pulling away as Kriel adds a second in this second period. A lovely flicked offload from Dixon, and the No13 speeds over. Kolbe adds the extras.
South Africa 24-12 England
18:03 , Oli Gent
58 mins: Cowan-Dickie is on for George at hooker.
South Africa 24-12 England
18:02 , Oli Gent
56 mins: Pepper, Slade and Mitchell are on for Murley, Van Poortvliet and Curry.
South Africa 24-12 England
18:01 , Oli Gent
55 mins: Superb from Libbock tight to the right touchline, with the grubber down low for Kolbe to chase, but even he can’t reach that.
South Africa 24-12 England
17:58 , Oli Gent
53 mins: Porthen, van Staden and Dixon are all on for the hosts, replacing Du Toit, De Villiers and Hanakom in the pack.
South Africa 24-12 England
17:55 , Oli Gent
49 mins: England look to respond immediately as Smith drives forward, with Atkinson round the side of him, but it’s lost forward!
Try! South Africa 24-12 England
17:52 , Oli Gent
45 mins: It’s there, and Grant Williams goes on his own, diving over to restore South Africa’s dominance. It’s aggressive carry galore, and Williams loses Chessum, breaking clear to dot down. Kolbe converts.
Kick off!
17:46 , Oli Gent
41 mins: Back underway.
HT: South Africa 17-12 England
17:33 , Oli Gent
What an end to the first half for England, after a nightmare opening.
Can they complete the turnaround?
Try! South Africa 17-14 England
17:31 , Oli Gent
41 mins: It’s another one! George Martin comes through the challenge and then some, powers over, and Borthwick’s men are back in it as Smith converts!
Try! South Africa 17-7 England
17:25 , Oli Gent
37 mins: Genge opens England’s account! He takes the penalty himself, driving through Du Toit, and touching down. Smith converts.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:24 , Oli Gent
36 mins: England are asking questions down the left, looking to make the most of their man advantage. Smith dives in and tests Hanakom, and it’s worked out for Feyi-Waboso... but it’s brought back for the penalty, with South Africa offside.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:22 , Oli Gent
33 mins: Feyi-Waboso chases down the kick on the right, but Kolbe darts after it, and it dribbles out for the throw.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:18 , Oli Gent
30 mins: Adense is in the sin bin! He’s shown the yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, in the referee and TMO’s eyes, as Smith looks to Feyi-Waboso out wide.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:16 , Oli Gent
28 mins: The Mexican wave ripples around the Ellis Park Stadium. England players look like they’re growing in confidence slightly, but they are 17-0 down...
South Africa 17-0 England
17:12 , Oli Gent
25 mins: Williams breaks and this is dangerous for the visitors. Hanakom and Du Toit join in, but it’s lost forward. But that is a superb kick from Willemse, winning a whole lot of ground for the hosts.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:10 , Oli Gent
23 mins: England now with a prolonged period of possession, but they are coming up against high line speed from the hosts. Smith goes for the dink over the top, but it’s out for a South Africa throw.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:04 , Oli Gent
20 mins: No try! Van Poortvliet touches the ball, and the crowd goes wild! It therefore means that George is offside as he touches down!
Try! South Africa 17-7 England
17:03 , Oli Gent
19 mins: They’re over! It’s the captain George who has it, exploiting Steenekamp’s lapse in concentration, and he bundles over the whitewash. TMO is looking at this, however...
South Africa 17-0 England
17:02 , Oli Gent
18 mins: Here’s Chessum as Du Toit holds him up. It’s a matter of centimetres now as we move into double-figures of the phases...
South Africa 17-0 England
17:02 , Oli Gent
17 mins: Tap and go as Genge and George look to power their way to the line. Coles joins in, and they’re getting closer. Earl gets involved as England punch away.
South Africa 17-0 England
17:01 , Oli Gent
15 mins: A first foray into the South African 22 for England, as Heyes looks to shove his way over. Marcus Smith runs onto it at pace, but he’s held up!
But it’s brought back for the penalty, with De Villiers offside.
Try! South Africa 17-0 England
16:58 , Oli Gent
14 mins: And there’s a third! It’s spun all the way out to Arendse, who does the job in tucking it away in the corner. Kolbe is wayward with the conversion.
South Africa 12-0 England
16:57 , Oli Gent
13 mins: Another penalty conceded by England for holding it on the floor. Williams kicks for touch, and the referee blows up as Heyes joins too early. The Springboks take it early...
South Africa 12-0 England
16:54 , Oli Gent
12 mins: A change for the Springboks, as Nche is replaced by Steenekamp. Nche isn’t happy, but he did take a knock to his ankle when he made that burst through midfield.
South Africa 12-0 England
16:52 , Oli Gent
9 mins: A far from ideal start for Borthwick’s men. How do they respond after two early blows?
Try! South Africa 12-0 England
16:50 , Oli Gent
6 mins: That is simply sublime from the Springboks, as Nche rips through the middle, bouncing off challenges, and it’s worked out to Kolbe. He sends Murley to the shops with the step, and he touches down. Can he convert his own score this time? Yes he can!
Try! South Africa 5-0 England
16:47 , Oli Gent
3 mins: It’s there, as Thomas du Toit dots down! The lineout goes long, and it’s worked quickly through the hands. Willemse bursts onto it, but he is held up by Seb Atkinson. It’s now about brute force in the phases, and du Toit slams over. Kolbe can’t convert, however.
South Africa 0-0 England
16:45 , Oli Gent
2 mins: A first penalty as Tommy Freeman doesn’t release on the floor, and the hosts can kick for touch.
Kick off!
16:43 , Oli Gent
1 min: Underway in Johannesburg.
The players are out
16:35 , Oli Gent
... and we’re about to get underway. Time for the anthems.
Warming up...
16:32 , Oli Gent
Warm-ups!
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) July 4, 2026
LIVE: https://t.co/s4P91cGDnW #NationsChampionship pic.twitter.com/n6XKNopgQG
How to watch Nations Championship this summer
16:27 , Oli Gent
ITV has bought the rights for the first two editions of the Nations Championship in 2026 and 2028, showcasing every match live and free-to-air across ITV1 and ITV4 - beginning with wall-to-wall coverage of all six opening games on Saturday (July 4).
They have decided to pause the in-game adverts that proved so divisive during the Six Nations earlier this year, though that is only expected to be a temporary measure.
Will there be finals?
16:20 , Oli Gent
Once those six matchdays are complete, a finals series takes place across three days in late November - with every match being held at Twickenham in the 2026 edition.
The teams that finished in the same position in each pool will go head to head then, culminating in the final between the two nations that finished first in their respective pools, with the winners of that match lifting the trophy.
When will games be played?
16:12 , Oli Gent
Those round-robin fixtures take place across six matchdays - three in the summer and three in the autumn.
The Southern Hemisphere teams (and Japan) are at home in the summer, before travelling north in the autumn. That is all except Fiji, whose home games are being held in the UK as their national stadium is not seen as being up to the required standard to host regular Test matches.
How does the Nations Championship work?
16:05 , Oli Gent
The Nations Championship sees the Northern Hemisphere teams that compete annually in the Six Nations - England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy - pitted against the Southern Hemisphere giants in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, plus Argentina, Japan and Fiji.
There are two six-team pools, one containing the Northern Hemisphere teams and the other comprised of the nations from the Southern Hemisphere (plus Japan).
However, despite being ranked that way they do not actually play against the teams in their own pools, but rather one game against each nation from the corresponding pool.
What about the Rugby Nations Cup?
15:55 , Oli Gent
There is also the new World Rugby Nations Cup that will essentially operate as the second tier of the Nations Championship, involving Georgia, Hong Kong, Portugal, Spain, Romania, Zimbabwe, Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, USA and Uruguay, who are split into ‘Europe, Africa and Asia’, and ‘Americas and Pacific’ pools respectively.
However, there will be no promotion or relegation at all during the first two editions of the Nations Championship - something that has attracted plenty of criticism.
What is the Nations Championship?
15:48 , Oli Gent
The Nations Championship is a brand new international rugby union competition that was first announced in 2023.
It is beginning in 2026 and will be held biennially moving forward, with the next edition coming up in 2028.
It replaces the old summer tours of Northern Hemisphere teams going south for multi-Test series and the autumn internationals, when the Southern Hemisphere nations would then come north to play several games across November.
The idea is to link those international windows and make particularly the summer far more impactful, bringing in an overarching competition that makes every match important.
Why is Furbank not playing?
15:40 , Oli Gent
George Furbank has been ruled out with appendicitis this afternoon, meaning that Marcus Smith comes in as the 15, and Henry Slade replaces him on the bench.
Also today!
15:32 , Oli Gent
Wales are taking Fiji in Cardiff this afternoon.
How are they doing?
Well, at half time, it is 10-10, with Jac Morgan striking twice for the Welsh.
Nations Championship results so far
15:25 , Oli Gent
Here are the results from matchday one so far:
New Zealand 34-32 France
Japan 27-10 Italy
Australia 31-33 Ireland
What is the Nations Championship?
15:17 , Oli Gent
What exactly is this competition?
Does rugby need it? Is it different to the Six Nations?
Some late changes!
15:10 , Oli Gent
A couple of last-minut adjustments for the hosts.
Some big withdrawals...
Squad update: Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth have been forced to withdraw from the match-23. Paul de Villiers and Cameron Hanekom will start, with Ben-Jason Dixon drafted onto the bench. Pieter-Steph du Toit will captain the team 🔄
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 4, 2026
Follow the action live in our match centre:… pic.twitter.com/IrVYaKiY6j
South Africa lineup
15:06 , Oli Gent
South Africa XV: Willemse; Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende, Arendse; Libbok, Williams; Nche, Marx, T du Toit; Hanekom, Nortje; De Villiers, PS du Toit, Wiese
Replacements: Wessels, Steenekamp, Porthen, Van Staden, Dixoni, Reinach, Esterhuizen, Moodie
Match odds
14:53 , Oli Gent
South Africa to win: 1/8
England to win: 11/2
Draw: 30/1
Odds via UK betting sites (subject to change).
Head to head
14:47 , Oli Gent
These two rivals last met during the 2024 autumn internationals, when the Springboks ran out 29-20 victors at Twickenham - their third straight win in this fixture, following on from a one-point World Cup semi-final triumph in Paris in October 2023.
England have not beaten South Africa since the autumn of 2021, while they have not bested them on their own territory since the summer of 2018.
South Africa wins: 29
England wins: 16
Draws: 2
Standard Sport prediction
14:40 , Oli Gent
As ever against the supremely dominant, physical and masterful Springboks, this is as difficult as it gets for England this weekend.
Playing the best team on the planet and reigning back-to-back world champions at their Ellis Park fortress in high altitude is as punishing a task as currently exists anywhere in the sport.
While their surprisingly impressive performance against eventual winners France to close the Six Nations gave Borthwick some much-needed breathing room amid more sustained criticism of his playing style, there is no getting away from the fact that it was still England’s worst-ever showing as they suffered four successive defeats for the first time.
That set alarm bells seriously ringing with the World Cup in Australia looming on the horizon and he will be desperate for a solid showing in this summer portion of the Nations Championship, with wins expected against both Fiji and Argentina.
England’s only hope here is surely if South Africa aren’t fully hitting top gear just yet at the start of their 2026 season, though the 12 tries they scored in a recent 80-31 demolition of the Barbarians may suggest otherwise.
South Africa to win, by 18 points.
South Africa team news
14:32 , Oli Gent
Former South Africa youth international Benhard Janse van Rensburg is not eligible to feature at Test level until July 8 after making his England debut off the bench in that non-cap international against France, but is likely to play a role against Fiji next weekend.
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is the Springboks’ most high-profile injury absentee following ankle surgery, with Manie Libbok picked over Handre Pollard to start at half-back with Grant Williams.
Full-back Damian Willemse and wing Cheslin Kolbe both earn their 50th caps, with Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende in the centres and Kurt-Lee Arendse on the left wing.
South Africa are captained as usual by Siya Kolisi, who lines up with Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese in a formidable back row.
Eben Etzebeth returns from his ban for eye gouging, with Ruan Nortje alongside him at lock. Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit are either side of Malcolm Marx in the front row.
A 5-3 bench split from Erasmus includes the versatile Andre Esterhuizen, who can play at centre or in the back row.
England team news
14:25 , Oli Gent
England are resting the influential Maro Itoje for their matches this month, with former captain Jamie George stepping back in as skipper once again.
The headline selection was George Furbank making his first Test start since November 2024 at full-back after his superb form in Northampton’s Prem title-winning campaign, with Freddie Steward now sidelined.
However, it was reported on Saturday morning that the unfortunate Furbank had been ruled out late with appendicitis.
A replacement has yet to be officially announced, but it is likely to be Marcus Smith now getting the nod in the back three with Henry Slade moving on to the bench.
Borthwick keeps faith in a centre partnership of Seb Atkinson and Tommy Freeman, with Immanuel Feyi-Waboso back on the right wing opposite Cadan Murley.
Jack van Poortvliet is preferred to Alex Mitchell and Ben Spencer at scrum-half, with Fin Smith continuing as the first-choice No10.
George is joined by Ellis Genge and Joe Heyes in a familiar front row, with George Martin partnering Alex Coles in the second row in Itoje’s abence.
Ollie Chessum is at blindside flanker, joined in the back row by Tom Curry and Ben Earl. Henry Pollock and Guy Pepper are both on a 5-2 bench that is lacking in experienced prop depth with Beno Obano and Asher Opoku-Fordjour the back-ups.
There are five changes to the team that started against France in the Six Nations finale, with Elliot Daly, Tom Roebuck, Spencer, Itoje and Pepper replaced by Furbank, Feyi-Waboso, Van Poortvliet, Martin and Curry.
How to watch
14:17 , Oli Gent
TV channel: South Africa vs England is being televised live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV4, with coverage beginning at 4:20pm.
Live stream: The match is also available to watch online via the ITVX website and app, which is free with a sign-up.
Hello and welcome!
14:10 , Oli Gent
... to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England’s opening Nations Championship match against South Africa.
They take on the Springboks in their own backyard - Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg - this afternoon.
Stay tuned for all the updates, with kick off at 4.40pm BST.
England lineup
13:39 , Oli Gent
England XV: M Smith; Feyi-Waboso, Freeman, Atkinson, Murley: F Smith, Van Poortvliet; Genge, George (c), Heyes; Coles, Martin; Chessum, Curry, Earl
Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Obano, Opoku-Fordjour, Ewels, Pepper, Pollock, Mitchell, Slade
