England coach Andy Robinson has warned his team to expect a gruelling encounter against the Springboks at Twickenham on Saturday.
Tri-Nations champions South Africa saw their hopes of a Grand Slam disappear last Saturday with a 17-12 defeat against Ireland in Dublin, and they will be desperate to get back to winning ways.
Robinson, who at the time was overseeing a debut match as head coach that ended in a 70-0 rout of Canada, told reporters at England’s training base on Tuesday: ”It’s going to get heated out there, it won’t be a place for the faint-hearted.
”Their pack are pretty streetwise and look after each other, and we have to really step up in our physicality.”
South Africa have lost their past five matches against England, a run including last year’s World Cup pool game in Perth.
Their most recent visit to Twickenham ended in a humiliating 53-3 defeat with Jannes Labuschagne sent off for a late tackle on Jonny Wilkinson.
But under coach Jake White, who took charge after the World Cup, South Africa have gone a long way to shed their ”brutal Boks” image, and former England flanker Robinson, for one, has been impressed.
”Jake White has got the confidence back in the team. He’s brought a bit of flair and belief back. They are a dangerous side but we know we have in our armoury everything to beat them.”
England’s defence coach, Phil Larder, predicted a tough examination but backed his players to rise to the challenge.
”I anticipate an exceptionally aggressive game, but preparing to play South Africa, who are undoubtedly the most aggressive team we play, is more of a mental thing.
”They do tend to come route one at you. They don’t compare with Australia or New Zealand as passers but they are big, aggressive, love contact, keep the legs pumping and also have quite a lot of evasion,” the former rugby league man added.
”They provide a unique and very special test. We have to match them in physicality and we’ve won the last five because we’ve been able to do that.”
England have made just one change to their starting line-up from the team that beat Canada with flanker Joe Worsley, who missed that match with a dead leg, returning in place of Andy Hazell. — Sapa-AFP