Wilkinson puts boot into South Africa

The only time England came close to panicking on Saturday was hours after they had recorded what was only their fifth win against a major Southern Hemisphere power outside Twickenham. Fog on the approach to Jan Smuts airport in Johannesburg meant their initial attempt to land had to be aborted a mere 50 metres above the runway, and it was a relieved squad who finally reached their hotel to commence a party which lasted into the small hours.

The clear blue skies that greeted them yesterday morning, though, could scarcely have been more symbolic. This was England's finest hour during Clive Woodward's three-year stewardship and, given the controversial circumstances of their first Test defeat in Pretoria, a 1-1 series outcome was quite the least they deserved.

On Saturday's evidence, had Jonny Wilkinson played at Loftus Versfeld South Africa would be looking at a 2-0 losing margin. The 21-year-old Newcastle outhalf established an English record with eight penalties from nine attempts, and also kicked a drop goal, echoing his performance in Paris in February when he supplied all of England's points in another famous win.

Of the two, though, this will be the game which Woodward will rerun whenever he wishes to explain exactly what it is he is trying to achieve with this squad. Even the most rabid home supporter in a hushed Free State stadium - and judging by the morons defiantly waving South Africa's old national flag during the anthems there are still some foam-flecked types lurking in Bloemfontein - could not fail to concede which side played the better rugby, looked the more composed and varied their game more intelligently.

Martin Johnson, who now has the remarkable record of having led both England and the Lions successfully in South Africa, was immense in every sense, and even the sending to the sin-bin of Jason Leonard and Lawrence Dallaglio were akin to flea-bites on a white-shirted bull elephant as their side responded with a total of 15 points in their combined absence.

"I think on another day we'd have scored tries and won more convincingly," claimed Woodward, justifiably mystified by the video referee decision from the experienced Andre Watson which gave Joost van der Westhuizen a 77th-minute try and tossed the Springboks a potential lifeline their error-strewn performance hardly merited.

Even Watson admitted later he had not been wholly sure whether it was Van der Westhuizen's hand he spotted on the top of the ball, and Woodward, having watched the video several times, could still not believe the decision yesterday.

There would have been uproar had the ruling proved more costly and nullified the magnificent defence of the entire England side during a frantic last 10 minutes. Ben Cohen produced one memorable corner-flag tackle on Breyton Paulse, and Pieter Rossouw's cross-kick towards the England posts looked odds-on to yield a try for Chester Williams until Austin Healey nipped in with the timeliest of interceptions and cleared the danger.

Five years to the day since Nelson Mandela handed over the 1995 World Cup to Francois Pienaar, it is no disrespect to the visitors to say that once again Nick Mallett's Springboks flattered to deceive. The private view of at least one English tight forward is that their front five will run into big trouble during the coming Tri-Nations.

The Boks are also unlikely to relish their trip to Twickenham this autumn, when England will also be facing Australia and Argentina. Woodward, tired of all the talk about the gap between hemispheres, can hardly wait.

"We've really got to beat these teams four or five times in a row," he said, indicating that Johnson would remain as his first-choice captain for the next Test against the Wallabies in November.

Even without three potential match-winners in Matt Dawson, Dan Luger and Iain Balshaw, the mists of self-doubt that cloaked English rugby at Murrayfield in April have unquestionably lifted.

Scorers: South Africa: Try: Van der Westhuizen. Conversion: Montgomery. Penalties: Van Straaten 4, Montgomery. England: Penalties: Wilkinson 8. Drop goal: Wilkinson.

SOUTH AFRICA (Western province if not stated): Montgomery; Paulse, Fleck, Barry, Rossouw; Van Straaten, Van der Westhuizen (Blue Bulls); Kempson, Marais, Visagie, Boome, Otto (Blue Bulls), Krige, Venter (Free State), Vos (Golden Lions, capt). Replacements: Williams (Golden Lions) (for Van Straaten, h-t), Le Roux (Natal) (for Kempson, 61 mins).

ENGLAND: Perry (Bath); Healey (Leicester), Tindall (Bath), Catt (Bath), Cohen (Northa mpton); Wilkinson (Newcastle), Bracken (Saracens); Leonard (Harlequins), Greening (Wasps), White (Saracens), Johnson (Leicester, capt), Grewcock (Saracens), Hill (Saracens), Back (Leicester), Dallaglio (Wasps). Replacements: Shaw (Wasps) (for Grewcock, 54 mins), Worseley (Wasps) (for Hill, 61 mins), Lloyd (Leicester) (for Tindall, 72 mins), Flatman (Sracens) (for White, 80 mins).

Referee: S Dickinson (Aus).