The game started off with England giving away two penalties in the first 10 minutes and Kyle Sinckler being replaced after less than three minutes due to concussion.
In England's biggest game since their last World Cup final in 2007 - where they also lost to the Springboks - everything was at stake for both teams at the International Stadium Yokohama.
Thousands of England fans arrived in Japan to watch the game after their team beat New Zealand in the semi-finals but after a game of penalties and the score at 6-12 at half-time, the Springboks were too strong.
Former South African hooker Hanyani Shimange on BBC Radio 5 Live: "We were in tears for the last moments of that game. So
happy, so proud. We spoke about how much it would mean for Siya and the team to
win that trophy. I’ll never forget this, I don’t think South Africa will ever
forget this. I’m really proud to be a South African today.
"This game won’t change the whole of South Africa but it’s
about giving people hope, it’s about uniting people. People will be loving this
and we’ll be celebrating for a while. Siya is not just a hero for black South Africans, but for the whole of South Africa.
"We were told we won’t win, England were overwhelming favourites, that’s when we’re
at our best historically. It’s the South African psychology, when we’re written off we’re
at our most dangerous. We'll be telling stories about this for a long time."
