Bad-blood match demands England raise game for the Boks

Autumn Nations Series: England v South Africa

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 16 November Kick-off: 17:40 GMT

Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app

Springboks don’t do sympathy.

South Africa have an immediate and emotional connection to their own nation.

On this trip to the northern hemisphere, the Boks have been granting interviews, signing shirts and coaching kids in a concerted PR push. But there are limits. And when talk turned to England, the charm stopped and the Boks’ offence started.

Asked about opposite number Steve Borthwick, there was an initial trace of empathy in Rassie Erasmus’ comments... It didn’t last the paragraph though.

“When you lose two games, even if it’s by a point or last-minute try, the pressure does start to build,” said Erasmus of a start to the autumn which has increased England’s run of defeats to four games overall.

“I’ve been there and certainly know how quickly that can get to you. Now Steve is a bit under pressure.

“It depends on your CEO – they can make you feel like you have got a gun against your head.”

The Rugby Football Union has no plans to pull a trigger. While a defeat against South Africa two years ago marked the end of his predecessor Eddie Jones, the RFU has backed Borthwick for the long haul, signing off on central contracts to strengthen his arm only last month.

But plans can change. A P45 came only eight months after the same reassurance for Jones.

Defeat would drop Borthwick’s win rate - currently 13 victories from 26 matches - to below 50%.

England would have lost five successive Test matches for the first time since 2018.

A 15-point loss, combined with success by a similar margin for Australia in Cardiff on Sunday, would put England eighth in the world - matching a historic low.

Back-to-back world champions South Africa are top of the rankings. But the gap between the two teams on the pitch is rarely as big as on the spreadsheet.

Two of their last three matches at Twickenham have been decided by a single point. Their Rugby World Cup semi-final last year was as well.

The Springboks were heavy favourites for that encounter, but trailed by nine points with 12 minutes to go before eventually clawing their way to victory via an RG Snyman try and a 77th-minute penalty from Handre Pollard.

It was Borthwick’s tactics and some slippery conditions that levelled that Parisian playing field.

England booted for the Stade de France stratosphere, putting up a barrage of kicks for wings Elliot Daly and Jonny May to chase, while a revved-up forward pack matched their Springboks at the set-piece and on the gain-line.

It was high on structure, low on risk and fiendishly hard to play against. Just as Leicester had been under Borthwick in their Premiership title win in 2022.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, Borthwick has reached for that steadying strategy once again.

Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet is back in place of Ben Spencer, tasked with feeding a swift ball to Marcus Smith and hoisting bombs.

Freddie Steward, England’s best aerial full-back with a 6ft 5in frame and spring-heelped leap, returns to field the high ball in defence.

Sam Underhill replaces the injured Tom Curry and will fell South African lumber all day, even if he doesn’t offer the same turnover threat at the breakdown.

Northampton pair Ollie Sleightholme and Tommy Freeman – with height advantage over opposite numbers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse and emboldened by the officials clamping down on receiving teams’ ‘escorting’ running lines - will lead the kick-chase.

“We know if we deliver our game plan, give 100%, we’ll get the result,” said Freeman.

Ellis Genge used to have an image of Mike Tyson emblazoned on his boots. He got a good luck message from the former heavyweight world champion at Japan 2019.

The prop will know Tyson’s famous observation about plans - how everyone has one until they get punched in the mouth.

The Springboks’ one-two-three combination is their front row. And it will be aimed at knocking out England once again.

The turning of the scrum screw late on switched the teams’ tracks in the 2023 semi-final, consigning England to defeat and advancing South Africa to the final.

Genge and fellow replacement Kyle Sinckler were unable to contain bomb squaddies Ox Nche and Vincent Koch at the scrum, with Genge giving away the final, match-winning penalty as the pressure piled on.

“It is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my career at least," Genge told BBC Sport earlier this week

"It's another game, another week but you obviously carry a bit of animosity from previous encounters."

Steward admitted that memories of that semi-final are similarly raw for him and replied with one word when asked if there were scores to settle with the Springboks: “Definitely.”

The fall-out from that most recent meeting – with final-whistle scuffles and an allegation, denied by Bongi Mbonambi, of a racial slur aimed at Tom Curry – means the reunion is set to be both personal and physical.

But, with dry weather forecast, South Africa can wield the scalpel as well as the sledgehammer.

A back three of Kolbe, Arendse and silky full-back Aphelele Fassi can cut England to ribbons on the counter, particularly if the hosts over-cook their kicks or loose-ball broken-field chaos results.

Fly-half Manie Libbok, who was replaced by Pollard a little over half an hour into the France 2023 semi-final, has plenty of motivation and the game-breaking ability to spring England's blitz defence.

England need to balance blood-and-thunder intensity with cunning and co-ordination, otherwise they risk being led into making all-too-familiar errors.

It is a huge challenge. But it is always is with South Africa. Fortunately for - and partly because of - Borthwick, it is one that England invariably rise to.