Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expressed utmost respect for England as the Boks kicked off their preparations for the inaugural Nations Championship – that kicks off next weekend in Johannesburg – and spoke highly of their travelling squad and the threat they posed in the opening game.
While Erasmus named his 46-man squad on Saturday night, England coach Steve Borthwick announced his travelling squad on Monday, for the clash at Ellis Park on 4 July.
“The England squad is good – their average age is about 27, and test caps around 32, so it's a young yet experienced squad,” said Erasmus.
“There are a few older players in their 30s, which brings the experience, but the young guys will add fearlessness into a team that was in the World Cup semifinal (in 2023), and who have competed really well off the back of the Premiership.
“It's a very competitive squad, and we know we'll have to work really hard against them at Ellis Park next week if we want to get a win.”
When quizzed about England loose forward Henry Pollock’s inclusion in their squad, Erasmus said, “He's like Siya. People make a big deal about certain players, but I don't always think the players themselves want that attention. What counts is what they do on the field, and recently, he’s been doing that. If I were coaching him, I'd only look at his output, and that has been exceptional.”
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was delighted to be entrusted with the captain’s armband once again, but he said the squad contained several leaders, and that the entire group feeds off one another in general.
“It's a really good feeling (to be named the captain),” said Kolisi, whose first game as Bok captain was in 2018 against England, also at Ellis Park.
“Everything starts from the top, and I think the biggest thing is to make sure the team remains the most important aspect. For us who have been here for a while, it's about passing on as much information as we can to make sure everyone is up to speed, because we never know who's going to play or who's going to be needed.”
Erasmus shot down suggestions that England’s performance in the Six Nations could influence their morale going into the Nations Championship.
“We tend to look more at the individual players than at the team structure to gauge what they'll do,” he said
“There will be strong Northampton and Leicester representation in their squad, and they always evolve their structures. So, we think we have a reasonable idea about what they'll do, but on the day, they could do something completely different.”
The Bok coach added, “Tactically, Steve (Borthwick, England head coach) is someone who works with numbers and chases trends, and that's always difficult to prepare against. If I say we know exactly what they'll do next Saturday, I'd be lying.”
With bonus points counting in the competition, which builds up to the Finals Weekend set for the end of November, Erasmus said chasing bonus points would not be their top priority.
“For many years, it’s mostly been about the world rankings, so we just want to try and win every match and build squad depth, character, and a playing style that everyone is used to when we get to the World Cup next year,” said Erasmus.
“I don't think we really see this as a competition in the traditional log sense. We’ll approach each match individually, and that will be England first, then Scotland and Wales, and I’m sure they’ll do the same.”
The Springboks will wrap up their camp preparations on Thursday and reassemble on Sunday, where they will slot back into full test-match mode.