The prospect of winning £1.4 million sterling seemed the furthest thing from Lee Westwood's mind here yesterday after he finished his second round in second place in the Nedbank Challenge, the former Sun City Million Dollar Challenge event.

Westwood was more concerned with a £4,500 bet he had with Ernie Els that England would beat South Africa at Twickenham today.

Worryingly, things seemed to be running Els' way, as the defending champion had just shot a five-under-par 67 to reach halfway at 11 under and lead by a shot from Westwood, who followed his opening 65 with a curate's egg of a 69 which ended with a bogey five at the 18th.

After an opening 68, Darren Clarke subsided to a 75 that included an outward nine of 40, and he and Colin Montgomerie both fell back to one under, too far behind to make an impression.

Westwood and Els will be last out in the third round and, asked if he would be pushing the pace to finish in time for kick-off, Westwood got his retaliation in first.

"Ernie won't be in any hurry to watch the rugby," he taunted. "The way I see it, it's going to be an exhibition. Why would he be in any hurry to watch that?"

Els, who found time to get to Lansdowne Road to watch the Springboks beat Ireland two weeks ago, was predictably sanguine about the Springboks' chances.

"Now that Percy Montgomery is back where he belongs at full back and Japie Mulder is at centre," he pronounced, "there's no worries".

The world number two also had few worries on the course, with an eagle at the long 14th and a birdie at the last propelling him to the top of the leaderboard.

His only dropped shot was at the fourth and he rescued par several times after hitting his drive into the bush.

Westwood's round never got going. He made birdie threes at the third and fifth, but hit a six-iron into the water at the short fourth for a double-bogey five.

He was level with Els standing on the 18th tee, but hit his driver into the crowd on the right. He then found the greenside bunker with his recovery and failed to get up and down for par.

The round of the day came from Thomas Bjorn, who shot a seven-under 65 despite hobbling for most of the day.

The Dane is suffering with a foot injury that will require an operation and on Monday he could not walk. Yesterday, Lazarus-like, he surged through the field to finish within two shots of Els.

The three-time champion Nick Price is level with Bjorn at nine under after a 66 that included an outward loop of 31 shots.

Price played 34 holes before making his first bogey, at the 17th, where his drive trickled into a fairway bunker leaving him with a stance that he described as "like a giraffe at the watering hole".

He skinned a nine-iron through the back of the green and failed to get up and down for par.

The overnight joint leader Jose-Maria Olazabal also shot 75 to drop to four under, seven shots behind Els.