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History says it is Boks by 10 when England plays in South Africa

It is usually brutal and a battle when South Africa hosts England.

Published

2 hours ago

1st July 2026

Keo

Springboks versus England in South Africa has historically favoured the Springboks on average by 10 points.

Springboks versus England

There have been a few blow outs, but often it has been a dogged war when the Boks have battled England in South Africa.

England have won four in 16 in South Africa, having won the first ever Test in 1972 and the most recent Test in Cape Town in 2018.

They famously won at Ellis Park in 1972.

The last time the two teams met at Ellis Park was in the first of three Tests in South Africa in 2018.

The Springboks won 42-39 after trailing 24-3 midway through the first half. The 81 points tally is the most ever scored in a match between the two nations.

Siya Kolisi captained the Springboks for the first time in that Test and Rassie Erasmus experienced his first home Test as coach of the Springboks.

The Boks won the second Test and the series in Bloemfontein a week later and England was the third Test in Cape Town.

The Springboks play England at Ellis Park on Saturday, 4th July in the opening round of the new Nations Championship.

England versus South Africa in South Africa

Category	Total
Tests Played	16
South Africa Wins	11
England Wins	4
Draws	1
South Africa Points	437
England Points	289
Average South Africa Score	27.3
Average England Score	18.1
Average Total Points per Test	45.4
Average Winning Margin	9.3 points

England vs South Africa in South Africa

No.	Date	Venue	Score	Winner
1	3 Jun 1972	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	England 18–9 South Africa	England
2	2 Jun 1984	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth	South Africa 33–15 England	South Africa
3	9 Jun 1984	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa 35–9 England	South Africa
4	4 Jun 1994	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa 15–32 England	England
5	11 Jun 1994	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa 27–9 England	South Africa
6	4 Jul 1998	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa 18–0 England	South Africa
7	17 Jun 2000	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa 18–13 England	South Africa
8	24 Jun 2000	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	South Africa 22–27 England	England
9	26 May 2007	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	South Africa 58–10 England	South Africa
10	2 Jun 2007	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria	South Africa 55–22 England	South Africa
11	9 Jun 2012	Kings Park, Durban	South Africa 22–17 England	South Africa
12	16 Jun 2012	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa 36–27 England	South Africa
13	23 Jun 2012	Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth	South Africa 14–14 England	Draw
14	9 Jun 2018	Ellis Park, Johannesburg	South Africa 42–39 England	South Africa
15	16 Jun 2018	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein	South Africa 23–12 England	South Africa
16	23 Jun 2018	Newlands, Cape Town	South Africa 10–25 England	England

South Africa v England Test Series Record

Series Played	England Series Wins	South Africa Series Wins	Drawn Series
7	0	4	3

Year	England	South Africa	Series Result
1984	0	2	South Africa won 2–0
1994	1	1	Drawn 1–1
2000	1	1	Drawn 1–1
2006	1	1	Drawn 1–1
2007	0	2	South Africa won 2–0
2012	0	2	South Africa won 2–0
2018	1	2	South Africa won 2–1

Overall Record

Venue	Played	England Wins	South Africa Wins	Draws	England Points	South Africa Points
In England	25	11	13	1	436	431
In South Africa	16	4	11	1	289	437
Neutral Venues	6	1	5	0	79	149
Overall	47	16	29	2	804	1,017

Head-to-Head Records

Record	England	South Africa
Longest winning streak	7 (24 Jun 2000 – 18 Nov 2006)	9 (25 Nov 2006 – 16 Jun 2012)
Largest points scored (Home)	53 (23 Nov 2002)	58 (26 May 2007)
Largest points scored (Away)	39 (9 Jun 2018)	44 (24 Oct 1999)
Largest home winning margin	50 (23 Nov 2002)	48 (26 May 2007)
Largest away winning margin	19 (18 Oct 2003)	36 (14 Sep 2007; 22 Nov 2008)
Highest aggregate score	81 points (South Africa 42–39 England, 9 Jun 2018)