By Chris Foy
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England arrived on the Highveld on Sunday firmly convinced that they can reignite this Test series by beating the Springboks in their Ellis Park 'lair', but the omens are not good after Saturday's defeat.
What was rightly seen as the tourists' best chance of victory instead became a bruising, brutal setback - the eighth successive loss against South Africa and the first against any opposition away from home in Stuart Lancaster's tenure as head coach.
On the charge: Willem Alberts breaks through the England defence
Flyer: Manusamoa Tuilagi hands off Bryan Habana
Match facts
SOUTH AFRICA : Z Kirchner (P Lambie, 41); JP Pietersen, J de Villiers, F Steyn, B Habana; M Steyn, F Hougaard (R Pienaar, 57); T Mtawarira (J du Plessis, 59), B du Plessis (A Strauss, 66), J du Plessis (C Oosthuizen, 49); E Etzebeth (F van der Merwe, 59), J Kruger; M Coetzee, P Spies, W Alberts.
Tries: M Steyn, De Villiers. Pens: M Steyn (4).
ENGLAND average rating 6.4
Mike BROWN 6: Utterly efficient and resilient under aerial assault but no real opportunities to cut loose in attack
Chris ASHTON 6: Threatened with one slick, swerving break in first half. Kept hunting gaps after that without success
Manu TUILAGI 7: Used as battering ram and was quite effective in the role, but still a lack of awareness and off-loading
Brad BARRITT 6: Once again he was the bulwark at the heart of the defence and stood firm until injury forced him off
Ben FODEN 7: Experiment worked as he was reliable in the face of Springbok kick-chase and took his late try superbly
Owen FARRELL 5: A concern. Kicked his goals and tackled with gusto but his distribution and decision-making were off-key
Ben YOUNGS 6: There were flashes of his old, off-the-cuff spark in the first half, but his box-kicking was a real let-down
Joe MARLER 6: Did not look out of place on his Test debut. Solid in high-pressure set-pieces with plenty of defensive grafting.
Dylan HARTLEY 6: Flawless line-out service and showed leadership qualities but lacked open-field clout of rival hooker
Dan COLE 6: Early charge earned penalty but overall carrying impact was limited and was unable to offer scrum platform
Mouritz BOTHA 8: Back in his home country, Saracens lock was a colossal presence. Gave body and soul to the cause
Geoff PARLING 7: Led impressive line-out operation, tireless work-rate and strong drive in build-up to late try
Tom JOHNSON 7: Best player on pitch in first quarter. Nuisance at breakdown and fine link play but faded on his debut
Ben MORGAN 6: Provided brief glimpse of thundering power in first half but has potential to be much more influential
Chris ROBSHAW 7: Another captain's performance to maintain fine form. Relentlessly physical but couldn't stem tide
Try: Foden. Pens: Farrell (4).
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia).
Chris Robshaw and Co had to cling on in the face of a searing onslaught from the hosts in the third quarter and they showed commendable spirit and commitment to rally late on.
However, Ben Foden's fine, last-play try merely served to distort the extent of the Boks' eventual dominance.
This first skirmish occurred in the relative comfort of a sea-level venue.
It was against rivals who had been hurriedly thrown together without much time to prepare.
From a positive platform, Heyneke Meyer's side can undoubtedly make rapid improvements in terms of ambition and execution to present a far more daunting threat here at altitude.
If England don't make similarly giant strides, fast, the doomsday prospect of a series whitewash looms large.
Having finished the opener with a flourish following a first half spent largely in the ascendancy, Lancaster's players brought with them a sense of wounded defiance on the flight from the coast to Johannesburg on Sunday. ?
As an established figure in a visiting pack which competed gamely for so long, hooker Dylan Hartley outlined a collective belief that victory was within reach and can be again.
'I think we put down a statement and I'd like to think they will have a bit more respect for us next week,' said the Northampton captain.
'We definitely met the physical challenge. That's all I've heard about from them - how physical they are and from the locals saying, "Are you ready to get a hiding?" We fronted up. We hunted their big runners and met them head-on. The way we finished the game is a huge positive. It is a statement that we are not going away. We are confident that we can go up to Johannesburg and win.
'It is a bigger challenge up there but we have had some good away results. The biggest one was going to France and winning. I can only compare next week to that.
'The lads were saying to each other in the changing room, "We'll get them next week". We can beat these guys. We are going into their lair in Joburg and there isn't a better place to do it.'
Such pride in England's bodies-on-the-line courage is justified. Lancaster's men were endlessly heroic in their willingness to hurl themselves into collisions in an attempt to halt monstrous Springbok ball carriers, with homecoming lock Mouritz Botha and newcomer Tom Johnson setting the tone.
But, when Meyer's men cranked up the tempo and the intensity after half-time; when the hulking figures of Willem Alberts and the Du Plessis brothers began to hit their rampaging stride, England simply could not contain them.
From 6-6 at half-time, tries by Morne Steyn and home skipper Jean de Villiers were the outcome of the hosts' high-octane power play.
Tussle: England's Mike Brown is held by South Africa
Running man: Chris Ashton of England makes a break
There was the usual talk of 'positives' afterwards, but Lancaster and his assistants will know that their team had a chance to strike early in this series and that chance was not taken.
They will know that the going will get so much tougher. Urgent action is required to revive English hopes.
This regime has previously shown a tendency to make bold, brave selection decisions and that gambler's instinct has to be in evidence this week or the light will surely fade fast at Ellis Park.
Surrounded: Frans Steyn is tackled by Owen Farrell (L), Ben Morgan and Brad Barritt (R)
It is time for a shift in onus from containing the opposition to challenging and threatening them.
Trying to beat South Africa at their own, no-frills game of kick and arm-wrestle is not the answer.
Whether or not England have players who are fully equipped to master a more open, fast-and-loose approach, they have sufficient attacking resources to try at least.
If the Boks can't be out-muscled, it's time to out-run them. Failure on those adventurous terms would not provoke a torrent of damnation.
High and mighty: Jean de Villiers dives through England's defence to score
When Wales won at Twickenham, the home fans still acclaimed their team's desire to play with a semblance of freedom.
Of course, they can do so now only from firm foundations and that requires some pressing remedial work in the scrum, although the lineout was flawless on Saturday.
A more expansive approach also demands a basis of momentum over the gainline and, in that regard, England have to make better use of No 8 Ben Morgan's prodigious class as an offloading ball carrier.
Ouch! Brad Barritt feels the pain of eye injury
It cannot be left to Manu Tuilagi to wage a one-man assault on the defensive ramparts.
Change is needed to liberate the outside backs. For now, Owen Farrell does not pass muster as chief playmaker at No 10.
While he and Brad Barritt are valued as a robust combination in defence, it's time for an onus on offensive play.
Hard hitter: South Africa's Bryan Habana, right, is tackled by England's Joe Marler
England have to be pro-active. Long-term, the coaches envisage Tuilagi moving to inside centre and Jonathan Joseph adding an extra dimension alongside with his fast feet and pace.
Circumstances require Lancaster to fast-forward that midfield overhaul, even if Tui lagi is not yet a multi - dimensional asset.
Toby Flood did enough as a replacement in Durban to be restored to the starting XV alongside Ben Youngs.
Try time: Morne Steyn goes over for South Africa
Arm him with real strength and guile in a new centre pairing of Tuilagi and Joseph, then perhaps South Africa will be the ones having to react rather than dictate.
If England do not show courage in their attacking ambition, no amount of physical courage can save them in this series.
Late consolation: England's Ben Foden crosses to score a try
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