South Africa opened their Nations Championship with a 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park, and the score was only part of the damage.
The Springboks scored seven tries in Johannesburg, started fast, absorbed England's best spell, then turned the second half into a power test England could not pass. Steve Borthwick's side had a way back at half time. They did not have one by full time.
The first twelve minutes set the mood
Sky Sports reported that tries from Thomas du Toit, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt Lee Arendse gave South Africa a 17 point lead inside 12 minutes.
That matters because South Africa were not at full noise on paper. Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth were late withdrawals before kick off, with Pieter Steph du Toit captaining the side.
England did not fold immediately. Ellis Genge and George Martin scored solo tries, and England cut the gap to three points by half time. That was the match asking them a question.
South Africa answered it after the break.
England ran out of room and men
Grant Williams and Jesse Kriel scored within 16 minutes of the restart as the Springboks took control again. Late tries from Malcolm Marx and Ben Jason Dixon finished it off.
England's discipline made the climb steeper. Tommy Freeman and Guy Pepper were shown yellow cards, leaving England down to 13 men late on.
That is not a small detail against South Africa at altitude. It is an invitation.
The Boks showed depth, not just muscle
The easy read is that South Africa bullied England. They did, at times. The better read is that they won a big Test while missing two of the names most sides would build a match plan around.
That is the uncomfortable bit for everyone else in the Nations Championship. South Africa did not need a perfect week to make a statement.
England have enough pieces to worry teams, but not enough control to survive these swings. Against the Springboks, the bad minutes become expensive very quickly.
Reporting: Sky Sports, Super Rugby Pacific.