England may arrive in South Africa as underdogs, but there are already hints that they may rely on a tried and tested formula for success on the Highveld that has already given several of their players wins in the last season.
It would be difficult to find a Springbok fan not confident of the world champions’ chances at Ellis Park on Saturday, but there is a danger that if England get it right, it could be a tough afternoon for the Springboks at the Joburg cauldron.
While the Boks have had some famous victories on the field, England could well look to the Northampton blueprint, with the English champions and Bristol Bears both having success at altitude in the last 18 months down the road at Loftus Versfeld, and both with a brand of rugby that has been very successful.
There is a school of thought that believes the altitude affects teams ahead of big games, but with sports science what it is nowadays and the English camp having months to plan ahead for this game, chances are they will be better equipped than most sides that travel to the Highveld.
And with that, they know what to expect.
A fast start is easy, but there is a real science to having air in the lungs in the dying minutes that some teams have mastered.
Northampton, who romped to this year’s Premiership title, are a side that like to have a crack, would enjoy the fast, hard surface that the Joburg pitch will give them, and it is likely that their six players in the England squad are all going to start on Saturday.
That means the bulk of the backline would come from the Premiership champions, and could be what Rassie Erasmus was referring to when he said Steve Borthwick likes to “chase trends” in his coaching.
A lot of the English media saw it as a swipe against Borthwick, but perhaps Rassie was just stating how he saw the English camp approaching the game.
It was confirmed by Marcus Smith in an interview late last week ahead of England’s departure, hinting that Northampton’s success in the Champions Cup at Loftus, and Bristol Bears’ success at the same venue at altitude may be a way of taking on the world champs.
'HELL OF AN OPPORTUNITY'
“It’s one shot,” said Smith. “We’ve spoken about leaving it all out there. It’s a hell of an opportunity. I don’t think England have been there since 2018 so we could create history, going down there to deliver a result.
“English teams and boys have had success down in South Africa with their club sides, so we will try to pool that knowledge and information to make sure we’re best prepared. We know that if we want to be [in the finals] we’ve got to start fast and start well. I guess there’s no bigger test than South Africa in Johannesburg. They’ve been leading the way in world rugby for a few years now, but it’s a challenge we’re definitely up for.”
Northampton beat the Bulls 30-21 in December 2024, and Bristol this season shocked Johan Ackermann’s side with a high-scoring 61-49 win, proving they could outrun and eventually outlast a Bulls side that had plenty of defensive issues at the time.
But the Boks will be a different kettle of fish, and they have some needle in this game as well. They would have been irked by Maro Itoje’s “bring on the Boks” chat during the November tour and the boast that England have the best scrum in the world. That’s red meat to a Springbok pack who won’t be short of motivation.
Add to that the competition in the Bok team for places at the moment, and the normal pressure of playing for the Green and Gold, and it is set up for an exciting test match.
England have also shown - especially at World Cups - that they can suffocate South Africa and play the game against them to shut them down. But at Ellis Park, that is unlikely to win them the game, although it may come in handy at times.
The key would be the secret to dealing with altitude, that the Saints and Bears unlocked, and the newfound hope of a new international season. But the question remains whether they were super Saints and Bears performances, or mediocre Bulls ones.
Saturday will tell if these theories are confirmed or not, but they certainly make for a good build-up to the test series.