‘A fearless team’: Rassie sizes up England

· Citizen

The England squad for the Nations Championship comprises a strong mix of youth and experience and will pose a formidable challenge, said Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus.

The Springboks host England at Ellis Park next Saturday in the tournament opener after the teams failed to meet on last season’s outgoing tour, a widely discussed omission given that South Africa even played Japan in London.

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Both teams have named strong squads for the tournament, although Erasmus said on Tuesday that his would likely change after the England Test as he manages his squad for upcoming matches against Scotland and Wales, and has already considered players and combinations for then.

England head coach Steve Borthwick has rested regular captain Maro Itoje, with Test centurion Jamie George named as stand-in skipper.

South Africa-born former Junior Springbok centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg is also in line to make his Test debut for his adopted country.

Springboks to work for win

Erasmus said England’s squad would test the Springboks.

“The England squad is good,” he said. “If you look at the average age of that squad, I think it’s 27. The average Test caps is about 32.

“It’s a young but experienced squad. You will get youth and a fearless team.

“It’s a very competitive squad, a squad we know we will have to work really hard at Ellis Park to get the win.”

He added that England were likely to change tactics after a close Six Nations campaign in which they finished second behind France.

“They always change their structures to evolve, like all of us. We more or less think we know what they are going to do but then you get to the day and they do something totally different.”

Erasmus also suggested the aerial battle would be key, particularly given the number of Northampton players in the England squad.

“There are a few guys coming through the Premiership who are very good in the air, which is something we were very good at last year. That is going to be a massive battle.

“Tactically, Steve is a guy who works with numbers and likes to chase strengths. It’s difficult to coach against a coach like that. We don’t know what they will do next Saturday.”

The hype around Henry Pollock

There is also hype around rising England star Henry Pollock, who will face the Springboks for the first time.

“Henry Pollock is like Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. I don’t always think the players want the hype.

“But what counts is what they do on the field, and Henry certainly does his job on the field. That is something we have to contain.

“If I were a coach and working with him I would look only at his output, and his output is awesome.”

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