England 14 South Africa 25:Andy Robinson's tenure as England head coach will end within days following his team's dismal autumn displays.

The former Bath flanker was still insisting last night he would not resign, but it is understood the England Rugby Football Union (RFU) have finally lost patience following Saturday's defeat.

Robinson (42), will meet RFU officials, including the elite rugby director Rob Andrew, today in a final attempt to save his job. While he remains intent on filing a report for discussion at a Club England committee meeting on December 7th, he could be gone by the end of the week. Since Robinson took over from Clive Woodward just over two years ago, England have lost 13 of 22 Tests, including eight of their last nine games. There have been mitigating factors, but the team has failed to improve since Robinson's previous assistant coaches were sacked in April.

A raft of former England players, including Will Carling, Will Greenwood, Stuart Barnes and Austin Healey, have called for Robinson to go.

Names such as Martin Johnson, Nick Mallett and Warren Gatland will inevitably be in the frame, but none will be in a rush to take charge of a team in dire shape with just nine months to go to the World Cup.

It seems more likely that the assistant coaches Brian Ashton and John Wells will be asked to assume more responsibility.

Robinson, meanwhile, remains in denial. "The next two months are absolutely key for English rugby. We're not that far away," he said yesterday.

Saturday was more than another grim day at the office for England, it was a requiem Mass for the soul of the modern English game. Robinson is not the only leading figure who should be drafting a letter of resignation this morning.

Talk about an autumn of discontent. For the second time in three weeks England were booed off by supporters whose loyalty had previously been blind. Expectations may be unrealistically high, but when Robinson's tight-jawed visage was shown on the stadium's big screen the jeers were deafening.

His ludicrously rose-tinted view afterwards was at least a better effort at sidestepping the inevitable than his team managed in a second half that, even by recent standards, plumbed uncharted depths. South Africa, in securing their first win in London since 1997 and their first overseas victory in seven attempts, defended splendidly, but England's passing, kicking, restart work, footballing instincts and decision-making were pitiful.

To lose three of their four November internationals is one thing. Performing like careworn, diffident strangers every week is quite another.

Their first two Six Nations' home games, against Scotland and Italy in February, would once have offered relief. Not any more; if England do not show more gumption they will deserve a wooden spoon. Last week they should have lost but squeaked home; this time they were 14-3 ahead and blew it totally.

Pat Sanderson spilled a kick-off, Tom Palmer dived over the top; two relatively minor incidents in isolation, but collectively enough to give the Springboks hope. Had Mark Cueto not been awarded a 30th-minute try that he clearly dropped over the line, England would have been scoreless for the final 62 minutes.

Instead the memorable moments were wrapped in green and gold. South Africa's prop CJ van der Linde scored a spectacular juggling try, prompting cries of "Super, CJ!" from fans of Reggie Perrin. Suddenly the visitors were 16-14 ahead and this time they turned the screw.

Andre Pretorius took his tally to four drop-goals, reviving memories of Jannie de Beer's fusillade in the 1999 World Cup quarter-final. The flanker Juan Smith was deservedly voted man of the match and, for England, only Joe Worsley, Chris Jones and Phil Vickery kept pumping for the full 80 minutes.

The outcome has also given the Springbok coach Jake White a timely reprieve. White must still fly to Cape Town for a meeting on Wednesday with provincial union presidents but can now expect slaps on the back.

Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, Schalk Burger and other top-class reinforcements will be back when England fly in for a two-Test tour next May. Lest we forget, the Boks are in England's World Cup pool. England do not just need a new head coach, they need saving from themselves.

ENGLAND: Lewsey; Cueto, Tait, Noon, Cohen; Goode, Richards); Vickery, Mears, White, Palmer, Jones, Worsley, Sanderson, Corry (capt). Replacements: Kay for Palmer, Moody for Sanderson, Perry for Richards (all 48 mins), Chutter for Mears (67 mins), Flood for Goode (76 mins).

SOUTH AFRICA: Steyn; Ndungane, Olivier, De Villiers, Habana; Pretorius, Januarie; Van der Linde, Smit (capt), Botha, Ackermann, Muller, Floors, Smith, Rossouw. Replacements: Carstens for Van der Linde (66 mins), Van den Berg for Smith (76 mins).

Referee: A Lewis(Ireland).

• Guardian Service