BOKS FULL OF TRICKS!

England's brave new world collapsed with two second- half tries in three minutes by the mighty four-try Boks at Twickenham yesterday.

But until they were worn down by the sheer strength of the Boks pack, there had been credit in defeat from England's third Test against rugby superpowers in successive weeks.

They led 11-0 until a minute before half-time and should have been ahead 14-0 but for Garath Archer's stamp reversing a simple penalty.

And in the move that led to prop Adrian Garvey scoring the Boks' first try from close-range the outstanding Mike Catt was so badly concussed that he was stretchered off and replaced by Paul Grayson and will automatically miss Enland's clash against the All Blacks on Saturday.

England also badly missed Lions skipper Martin Johnson - banned for a week for punching All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall - and they will be glad of his power and experience against New Zealand.

Catt had appealed for the Twickenham fans to get behind the side in the way they did when lifting the roof at Old Trafford last week.

And as England raced out from the tunnel they were greeted by a deafening wall of sound.

The Boks arrived bursting to avenge the Lions victory in the summer and in tremendous form after their 52-10 demolition of France last Saturday.

England's new-look side desperately needed to prove that they are capable of producing two rousing displays in a row - and they started with a bang.

The pack held firm, Lawrence Dallaglio led some Lions-style tackling and the Boks soon realised England were going to be a much tougher proposition than the feeble French last week.

England turned the screw in the early stages of the first half and the first punch of the match was swung by South Africa's scrum-half Werner Swanepoel.

But it was a straightforward off-side decision in the sixth minute that let Catt in for a 35-yard chance to show that last week's miserable kicking display against the Blacks was a one-off nightmare.

His kick sailed perfectly through the posts to give England a flying start and within two minutes he doubled the lead to 6-0.

England went 11-0 ahead with an opportunist try by Nick Greenstock, making his Twickenham Test debut.

Krynauw Otto fumbled his pass to skipper Gary Teichmann, the ball hit the No 8 on the arm and bounced into the midriff of Greenstock who galloped over from 25 yards.

Os du Randt and Teichmann almost cut Dallaglio in half with one double tackle that earned England a simple 35-yard penalty but Mr Hawke reversed that for Archer's stamp.

But the Green Machine was beginning to get on a worrying roll and they got their first try at the perfect psychological moment in a move which ended with Catt being carried off on a stretcher, his face a mask of blood.

England held three huge drives by the Springboks on the line but prop Adrian Garvey peeled off and was driven over while Catt was writhing on the ground in agony.

Catt took Henry Honiball's boot in his face but the England medical team were desperately slow to react.

Honiball landed the conversion but when substitute fly-half Grayson entered the fray England's lead was down to 11-7.

That gave the Boks the boost they needed and they opened the second half with two terrific tries in three minutes. Andre Snyman got the first, an outrageous dummy opening the gap, and he scorched fully 45 yards to slither over the line.

Honiball converted that 53rd- minute score but missed when Mark Andrews got the touchdown in the corner three minutes later following great close passing between Andre Venter and Pieter Rossouw.

The Springbok pack was now in control and only lion-hearted tackling kept England in it at 11-19.

Honiball stretched the lead with a simple penalty in front of the posts and as the pressure mounted, Swanepoel rounded things off with a fine 79th-minute try.

ENGLAND 11

Perry 6, Bentley 6, Greenstock 7, Greenwood 7, Rees 6, Catt 8 (Grayson 6), Dawson 6, Leonard 6, Cockerill 6, Garforth 6, Grewcock 6, Archer 7, Dallaglio 7, Back 7, Hill 6.

Tries: Greenstock

Pens: Catt (2)

SOUTH AFRICA 29

Montgomery 6, Small 6, Snyman 7, Muir 6, Rossouw 6, Honiball 7, Swanepoel 6, du Randt 7, Dalton 7, Garvey 6, Otto 6, Andrews 9, Aitken 6, Venter 7, Teichmann 7.

Tries: Garvey, Snyman, Andrews, Swanepoel

Pens: Honiball. Cons Honiball (2), Montgomery

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