South Africa A 26 England Saxons 29

GLOUCESTER flanker Matt Kvesic scored one of England Saxons tries that saw them beat South Africa A in a thriller in George on Friday night.

South Africa A enjoyed the best of the first half action with tries from Jean-Luc du Preez and Sergeal Petersen giving them a 12-8 lead at the break. The Saxons' score came from Tommy Taylor following a rolling maul.

South Africa A increased the pressure at the start of the second half with two quick scores from Petersen and centre Francois Venter extending the lead to 26-8.

However, the Saxons fightback began immediately with Taylor adding another before Kvesic crossed to bring the Saxons within four points with 25 minutes still left to play.

With four minutes left, wing Christian Wade dived over following a period of huge pressure from the England pack. Danny Cipriani added the extras to give the visitors the lead for the first time.

The Saxons then saw the final few minutes out to secure the two-game series win.

Saxons Head Coach Ali Hepher said: "I am just chuffed to bits for the guys, they really put it in out there. They fought hard for each other and that is what we needed when we were in a pretty dark position.

"The character that came through just shows how much they want to play for their country."

Hepher praised the grit shown in getting back into the game: "The maul was the way to win the game and we did that. We started winning collisions and being aggressive in our defence."

He added: "It is important for their careers. They have shown positive things and have put their hand up. They need to take that forward and put that into their Premiership teams.

"They are not a long way off international rugby and it should be quite exciting for them."

Double try scorer Taylor said: "To get a series win in the southern hemisphere is fantastic. I'll remember this for the rest of my career. It's been a great trip with a great bunch of lads."

Former Gloucester lock and Saxons captain Dave Attwood added: “I couldn’t be prouder of this Saxons team tonight. They showed so much character and so much belief. It was a great victory.”

England secured the series win having beaten South Africa A 24-32 at Bloemfontein on Friday 10 June.