'It's the start of a new chapter' – Faf du Plessis

"We needed that," the skipper said at the post-match presentation after their 107-run win against England at Centurion on Sunday, 29 December, which broke a losing streak of five Tests. "It's the start of a new chapter. We want to make sure we're improving as a Test team again. We want to go up to better things again and this is just the start."

The win marked a positive beginning to the era under head coach Mark Boucher and director of cricket Graeme Smith, with Jacques Kallis and Charl Langeveldt also on the coaching staff. Faf du Plessis described the results as reflecting the stability of the new structure and the players' confidence in it.

"It's been a tough season for the Test team, and it's been a while since our last victory," he added in the press conference. "This week there was a really good feeling in the camp that we had done some good stuff before the Test match. We knew we needed to put in some performances to get the thing running."

His team gave their skipper plenty to celebrate. Quinton de Kock's brisk 95 rallied the lower order for a recovery from 111/5 to post 284 in the first innings, before Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada breathed fire to reduce England to 181. Debutant Rassie van der Dussen extended the lead with a useful fifty and Anrich Nortje showed off his all-round abilities to help post a target of 376, and defend it.

"As a team, we don't have a lot of superstars," du Plessis said. "You can say guys like KG [Rabada] and Vern [Philander] are superstars in their own right. But as a team we take a lot more from victories where everybody contributes in their own way. Small things like Nortje getting 40 with the bat are even more pleasing ... Our bowling unit was exceptional. All of them put their hands up."

Most pleasing, perhaps, was the spirit the players showed. According to the captain, their showdown with pace bowler Jofra Archer, who sent down his share of beamers, got them going.

"It's a South African thing. We are a team of fighters," he said. "We love something to spark a little something like that. Our feeling was that when he comes in, we will do exactly the same thing to him."