What a fabulous occasion this was, a thunderous way to kick off the new-look Nations Championship. Anyone stumbling across the sport for the first time would have been truly staggered by the commitment of both teams, not to mention the spine-tingling pre-match rendition of “Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. This was top-drawer sporting theatre in the spiritual home of South African rugby.

But when the smoke finally cleared on a cool, still Highveld evening there was a clear winner. Even though the world champion Springboks were missing a clutch of influential forwards they were still way too strong for gallant but outgunned opponents. From 17-0 down after just 12 minutes England showed huge resolve to battle their way back to 17-14 at half-time but, having been reduced to 13 men late on, the upstart visitors had been put firmly back in their place.

No outcome other than a resounding home victory had looked conceivable when the Boks stormed away into a 17-0 lead after just 12 minutes so it was to England’s credit, not least the tireless Ben Earl, that the hosts could not absolutely hammer down the final nails until late on. That said, the quality of South Africa’s first-half blitzkrieg even with a weakened pack was impossible to ignore and their squad depth remains the envy of the oval-ball world.

From England’s perspective, though, there will be a mixture of emotions. Before the game an exuberant series of lookalike acts played the parts of assorted British icons ranging from James Bond and the Beatles to Elton John and the Spice Girls and, similarly, Steve Borthwick’s side cannot yet claim to be the real deal.

Even without two of their central pillars following the withdrawal of Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth with hamstring and concussion issues respectively, the Boks had too much firepower and could even afford to play the former Harlequins centre André Esterhuizen at No 8 in the final quarter. In Damian Willemse, Grant Williams, Cheslin Kolbe and Jesse Kriel, they also have the backs to worry anyone.

Admittedly it was rough luck to lose George Furbank, who will stay on in South Africa after having his appendix removed on the morning of the game, but it is now five successive defeats for Borthwick’s England. George Martin was a forceful presence in the second row but the sin-binning of Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper means their team have been shown at least one yellow card in eight games in a row.

Even against 15 players, though, South Africa were irresistible at times and had three tries on the board inside the first 12 minutes through Pieter-Steph du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse. England were not so much picked off as swept aside by an unstoppable green tide, as quick and slick across the backline as they were physical up front.

If the sight of Ox Nché galloping free straight down the middle of the field in the lead-up to the nimble-footed Kolbe’s score felt ominous, South Africa’s aerial dominance and accuracy was arguably more so. The only straw to which the visitors could cling was that Kolbe could only land one of his first three conversion attempts but a 17-0 lead was still a major statement of intent.

The Boks’ blitz defence was also causing all kinds of mayhem, with the lightning-fast Williams also proving a real threat. For a while the closest England came to responding was when Jamie George, burrowing low from a metre out, had a try ruled out for offside but momentum then shifted dramatically in the last five minutes of the first half with Arendse in the sin-bin.

First the committed Ellis Genge crashed over and then, with the interval beckoning, the massive Martin thundered through a couple of defenders in the left corner. Fin Smith’s conversion, remarkably, sent England down the tunnel just three points behind. It was rich entertainment for a healthier-than-predicted crowd, swelled in number by last-minute cut-price tickets. South Africa’s unemployment rate has risen to almost 33%, and, if they can afford it all, people are saving their money for the upcoming New Zealand tour.

The second-half? South Africa were more clinical and ruthless when it mattered, Williams and Kriel slicing over to crank up the pressure on England once more. If Henry Pollock, roundly booed by his South African ‘fan club’ after coming on as a replacement, imagined he might be able to spark another revival he reckoned with the Boks’ final quarter power surge.

Further close-range tries from Malcolm Marx and BJ Dixon, with Freeman and Pepper in the bin, took the Boks into the forties and it was a ragged looking white-shirted defensive line by the end. “We were playing against the best team in the world and it doesn’t get much tougher than that,” said Borthwick, conceding South Africa had ruled the aerial kicking game. “All the coaches and players will be working very hard this coming week.”

Next up England will face Fiji in Liverpool next Saturday before heading off to South America to face Argentina in Santiago del Estero, with their captain George lamenting his side’s discipline but insisting “fine margins” had been involved. “We’re gutted with the result because we genuinely believed we could come here and win,” said George. “Talking to the South African players afterwards they know they’ve been in a Test match. We’re going to be a significantly better team off the back of this experience.”