The Springboks kick off their 2026 Nations Championship campaign against England at Ellis Park looking to build even more momentum leading into the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
Coming up against this under-pressure English outfit, here are three key areas that could decide who walks away with the spoils on Saturday.
Can England stand up to the Boks’ muscle?
The most fundamental question England need to answer on game day. Their chances rest entirely on their ability to meet the Boks head on in the collisions, and failure to do so could result in a very one-sided outcome.
Rassie Erasmus has named what is effectively a full-strength matchday 23, with the usual Springbok forward Spartans all set to appear. Aside from the Bulls contingent, who may still be feeling the after-effects of the URC Grand Final, the majority of the Bok pack should be fresh and rearing to go following their hit-out against the Barbarians a fortnight ago, with Eben Etzebeth in particular likely to be foaming at the mouth for a chance at getting onto the field.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks lock missed the backend of his franchise’s campaign through injury and his expected enthusiasm spells bad news for the English forwards, who are already missing their rested talismanic skipper Maro Itoje.
Instead, they may look to the game’s most talked-about young player, Henry Pollock, for inspiration, with the in-form 21-year-old about to experience Test rugby at its most fierce. If he can translate his Northampton Saints heroics to the famous white jersey on the highveld, he could be a seismic figure for his side.
Eddie Jones this week made reference to the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU — England’s national body’s) stubborn refusal to select players plying their trade outside the Gallagher Premiership, highlighting how the absence of forwards David Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis and Tom Willis makes the national team significantly weaker, particularly against a side like the Springboks.
Well, the performance of the English pack on Saturday will reveal whether or not Old Eddie has another good point.
Set piece accuracy
England have traditionally always been a set piece-oriented side, and their Six Nations campaign was no exception despite their ultimate failure in the competition. They ranked first in the tournament for lineout success (94.9%), lineout throws won (74) and lineout steals (5), with more of the same expected at altitude this weekend.
But they face the true set piece standard bearers of the game on Saturday, which will demand significantly more of them, especially in the cauldron of Ellis Park. Even if the Boks gain the upper hand at the collisions as expected, a strong lineout and/ or scrummaging performance from Steve Borthwick’s side would give them plenty to work off, and Jamie George and the rest of his tight five operators must realise this and remain as accurate as possible in these departments.
Libbok at flyhalf
Tony Brown favourite Manie Libbok is the man backed at No 10 with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu still sidelined and Handre Pollard not selected. With no replacement flyhalf named in the matchday 23 (unless you count Bok half-centurion Damian Willemse), we may be seeing a full 80-minute showing from Manie which, if word out of Japan is anything to go by, will make for some scintillating viewing.
The 28-year-old faced the media this week and mentioned how much of a positive impact Hanazono Kintetsu Liners attack coach Quade Cooper has had on him since his move to East Asia.
Considering how good the former Stormer already is with ball in hand, it’s scary to think what the influence of Cooper could do.
The Australian’s former Queensland Reds halfback partner Will Genia, who serves as the Japanese club’s skills coach, was also quoted in the press on the subject of Libbok, saying how much he’s matured in the relatively short space of time he’s been in the country.
All these signs point to a reinvigorated and revitalised Libbok, and if the Bok forwards do their bit as expected on Saturday, we could see arguably SA Rugby’s best out-and-out attacker causing unbridled chaos at Ellis Park — and teeing up his fellow backs in the process. Here’s hoping.
