Bloemfontein – The Springboks’ 23-12 win over England in Bloemfontein on Saturday means that they have won the series, and captain Siya Kolisi was full of praise for his side after another tough outing. 

As was the case in the first Test at Ellis Park, the Boks slipped to an early deficit – 12-0, this time – and had to fight back. 

They eventually took a 13-12 lead into half-time and then kept England scoreless in the second period.

“It does feel good. It was really tough – but we knew what we were coming into,” Kolisi said after the match.

“The most important thing is the crowd – thank you so much for coming out in Bloemfontein. It was really important for us.”

Asked about a second underwhelming start in a row, Kolisi said: “I don’t know why. The coach always tells us that all he wants is intensity.

“As long as we have intensity, we can control the game. The most important thing is the character of the boys … coach Rassie Erasmus is a great leader, he keeps us calm.”

England captain and centre Owen Farrell said: “We lost momentum in that second part of the first half again.

“We will have to make sure we look back at it and see where we went wrong — but there was some big moments in that game where we were not composed enough.

“I know the 2019 World Cup is a part of the big picture. We want to learn our lessons now, start winning now. We are going to have to regroup for next week.”

The third and final Test takes place in Cape Town next weekend.