South Africa 22 England 17: Lancaster confident his young England side will take revenge

Lancaster’s side were edged out by the Springboks in the opening game of their three-match series at Durban’s Kings Park.

The challenge gets tougher with the second Test taking place at altitude in Johannesburg and the Springboks’ limited preparation time no longer a factor, but Lancaster insists players are far from disheartened.

He said: “The boys are disappointed because they lost. They want to win, that is the primary emotion at the moment.

“But when we look back on it, at half-time we were definitely in a positive mindset and we felt we had the better of the first half, even though it was only 6-6.

“The boys are certainly very positive and the good thing is we have already seen one or two areas we can fix up.

“The players are talking about it already and that is a good sign. They are not downcast and they are feeling there is no chance of turning up next week and not winning.

“If anything, this will be their motivation to right the wrongs we did in this game.”

England fought hard in the first half and twice led with penalties by Owen Farrell but both were cancelled out by Morne Steyn.

The Springboks upped the tempo after the break and relentless pressure eventually told as Steyn and new captain Jean de Villiers broke through for tries.

England responded with two more penalties from Farrell but another two from Steyn put the game beyond the Red Rose despite an impressive late consolation try from Ben Foden in the corner.

Former Leeds coach Lancaster said: “I don’t recollect too many clear-cut chances that we created but we definitely created some and put pressure on the Springboks.

“But they defend with pretty much everyone in the line, it is hard to break them down.

“Composure was probably the key aspect that we need to work on – make sure we play in the right place at the right time but, equally, when we have got opportunities to get the ball off the field we get it off the field.

“Once they were across the gainline, irrespective of how we slowed the contact down or got around the corner, eventually the hard-running South African forwards made a dent into us.

“We need to work defensively and make sure we win that gainline battle. That is crucial for all sides.”

The spirits of the England side revived under Lancaster remain intact.

Lancaster has transformed the national side after last year’s dismal World Cup under Martin Johnson and feels the new faces he has introduced will be better for the experience.

Forwards Joe Marler and Tom Johnson both worked hard after being handed their debuts while full-back Mike Brown shone on his return to the starting line-up, although he has a thumb injury which will be assessed.

Lancaster said: “It is about building experience.

“We had four or five Under-21s in the side.

“For them to come here and play at this level and this intensity – I thought they stepped up remarkably well.

“Mike played as he did for Harlequins throughout the season. He didn’t just look safe under the high ball, he was good.

“He has been a long time waiting for his chance and I am really pleased with how he played.”

South Africa-born centre Brad Barritt is England’s other injury concern after leaving the field in the second half with a facial injury.

The players who did not feature will get their chance to stake a claim for a place in the second Test in a tour match against the Southern Barbarians in Kimberley on Wednesday.

Lancaster said: “We need the midweek boys to pitch up and play well, put pressure on us and make sure we have got some good selection decisions to make.”

Scorers

South Africa – Tries: M Steyn, de Villiers. Pens: M Steyn 4. England – Try: Foden. Pens: Farrell 4.

Teams

South Africa: Kirchner, Pietersen, F Steyn, de Villiers, Habana, M Steyn, Hougaard, Mtawarira, B du Plessis, J du Plessis, Etzebeth, J Kruger, Alberts, Coetzee, Spies. Replacements: Lambie for Kirchner (40), Pienaar for Hougaard (56), Strauss for B du Plessis (65), Oosthuizen for J du Plessis (49), F van der Merwe for Etzebeth (58), Daniel for Coetzee (72). Unused: Olivier.

England: Brown, Ashton, Tuilagi, Barritt, Foden, Farrell, B Youngs, Marler, Hartley, Cole, Parling, Botha, Johnson, Robshaw, Morgan. Replacements: Joseph for Brown (78), Flood for Barritt (53), Dickson for B Youngs (72), Doran-Jones for Marler (72), Mears for Hartley (75), Palmer for Botha (58), Dowson for Morgan (61). Referee: S Walsh (Australia).

How the red rose rated in Durban...

STARTING XV:

Mike Brown – A rock at the back, commanding under the high ball, kicked well and ran it back with real purpose.8

Chris Ashton – Worked hard and always a threat to the Springboks with the ball in hand but sill searching for his most electric form. 7

Manu Tuilagi – The centre was well marshalled by South Africa’s midfield but made some telling tackles. 6

Brad Barritt – Back in his home town, turned in a trademark workhorse performance before being forced off with head injury.6

Ben Foden – Selection of two full-backs served England well. Defended his wing channel expertly and took the try brilliantly.7

Owen Farrell – Grew into the pace and physicality of the game but made some poor decisions.6

Ben Youngs – Tried his best to inject some zip into the game but Springbok physicality made it difficult.6

Joe Marler – An impressive shift on debut, industrious around the park and gave Jannie du Plessis a tough challenge in the scrum. 7

Dylan Hartley - Reliable in the lineout and held his own in the scrum but missed one hook which led to a South African penalty.6

Dan Cole – Muted the Kings Park cries of ‘Beast’ with a strong scrummaging effort and all-round commitment.7

Mouritz Botha – Threw himself into the contact areas and worked hard before fading in influence.6

Geoff Parling – Ran the lineout expertly against rookie locks and never stopped working. 6

Tom Johnson – Test debutant was strong in defence, carried ball well and will have learned a lot.7

Chris Robshaw – The captain won vital turnovers and even won on-field praise from the referee for his lung-bursting efforts.8

Ben Morgan – Made one trademark break but could not impose himself against the powerful Springbok forwards.6

Replacements:

Lee Mears (Hartley, 75 mins).6

Paul Doran-Jones (Marler, 72)5

Tom Palmer (Botha, 56)6

Phil Dowson (Morgan, 60)6

Lee Dickson (Dickson, 72)6

Toby Flood (Barritt, 53) 6

Jamie Joseph (Brown, 79) 6