Jones again blames himself for England woes as patience grows thin

The period until next year's Six Nations will be one of dread and exasperation for England fans, as they wonder if and how Jones can turn around some seemingly fundamental problems.

"I have coached for a number of years and I believe I can coach well. People will say what they say, and there are ups and downs in sport but we didn't play well today and I apologise for that, it's entirely my fault," Jones said.

The Australian has insisted time and again that England's defeats are learning moments, that he is holding back some of their best plays for the World Cup and that the Marcus Smith-Owen Farrell axis needs time.

There is no question as to the credentials of the Australian coach who in 2015 steered unfancied Japan to glory against South Africa, who has innovated in selection and tactics constantly, and who at times has made his England team unbeatably abrasive.

But the current side are a shadow of the one that torched the All Blacks in the 2019 World Cup semi-final, the peak of their performances under Jones.

With no more games left this year, England end 2022 with their worst record since 2008 in terms of defeats, hardly proof, as Jones maintains, that the team are nearly there with just some polishing needed.

"On results, we are not happy, but I feel like we are building a good base to have a go at the World Cup," he said.

What is most alarming is that the problems seem widespread, from a tendency to concede clusters of penalties, to a set piece that can crumble at inopportune times, to an alarming drop in basic handling standards of late.

Even a strength of England's recently, namely Freddie Steward's aerial prowess, seemed lacking on Saturday as South Africa repeatedly profited from high kicks.

"We lost the air, lost the scrum battle, when you lose those two key contests it's hard to turn the game around," Jones said.

England's miserable day was compounded by injuries, with Jones saying prop Will Stuart and fly half Smith were among the wounded, without elaborating on how severe the knocks were.

"We are hurting, but this team will learn from it and come back strong," England's captain Owen Farrell said.

But the side are fast running out of opportunities to put things right.

Jones has often deployed this self-blaming tactic of late, perhaps as a means to deflect criticism from the players, but he let reporters see his more pugnacious side when asked if his team could now be seen as underdogs for the 2023 World Cup.

"I don't really care what anyone else thinks," he said.

Nienaber delighted with his Springboks

South Africa coach Jacques Nienaber says the platform for victory over England was laid by a powerful performance from his forwards in which they subdued the home team’s pack.

The Springboks scored tries through wing Kurt-Lee Arendse and lock Eben Etzebeth , and dominated in the scrums and the aerial battle as they claimed a first victory against their hosts at Twickenham since 2014.

"It’s a cliche but the forwards were outstanding," Nienaber said. "They gave us the platform and the backs used their opportunities. It was a team effort but the forwards laid the foundation.

"It was a stiff challenge and there are a lot of things you need to get right on the day. We all saw what England are capable of last weekend (against New Zealand). From the coaching box, we were never comfortable."

The match was played outside of the international window, depleting the Boks as a number of their regular players were not released by their clubs. Nienaber says they viewed this as an opportunity to test their depth ahead of next year’s World Cup.

"This match is always a good one for us being outside the window. It was the same in 2018 when we played Wales. I can say now there were a couple of players that maybe weren’t up for (World Cup) selection but are knocking on the door."

The Boks played the final 20 minutes with 14 players following a red card for prop Thomas du Toit, but captain Siya Kolisi believes the fact they were able to keep using their set-piece as a weapon was crucial.

"There is nothing we have not faced this year," he said. "We had a red card before (against France), so we were prepared for it. We kept going and worked harder for each other. Keeping eight forwards on made it easier for us, so it was a great call from the coach."

The Boks head home with a modest 50% win record in the autumn series following narrow defeats to Ireland and France, but Nienaber believes they do so as an improved side.

"It is probably one of the most enjoyable four weeks we have had in terms of the working relationship between the players and staff," he said.

"We were creative in terms of the plans we made, we stuck with it and gave it a good go. The players showed great ownership in all four games."