Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus revealed their Nations Cup clash against England in July is one they have identified as a “must-win” fixture.
The Springboks cemented their place as the top rugby nation in the world last year by retaining the Rugby Championship crown before going on an unbeaten tour of the northern hemisphere in November.
What made that run even more impressive was the fact that they had to beat France and Italy with just 14 men on the pitch for most of those matches.
However, some felt there was a bit of unfinished business for the Springboks as they never played against a resurgent England team that beat both Australia and New Zealand in the November internationals and went on an 11-game unbeaten run of their own to close out 2025.
The Springboks face a blockbuster season of fixtures in 2026 that includes Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry incoming tour against New Zealand, as well as Nations Cup matches against France and Ireland in November, and Erasmus says the game against England is one of the biggest for the Springboks.
“They are the real thing now,” Erasmus said.
“Tom Curry is a tough bastard, and Maro Itoje will always disrupt your play, and Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith, and Marcus Smith are big threats at the back.
“I just think they’ve got a nice balance. There is grunt and power and flair. They’re impressive.”
Despite all the talk about England’s own version of a forward-heavy bench dubbed the Pom Squad, Erasmus says he is expecting them to spring a surprise or two of their own.
“They might find something different,” he said. “They might go with four forwards and four backs, and then I might look at that and think, ‘That might work.’
“We’re all stealing from each other and learning from each other. None of us has all the answers.”
With England and many other nations forming their own version of the Springboks’ Bomb Squad, talk of law changes to ban the practice has quieted down somewhat, which is something Erasmus welcomes.
“I think it’s lekker when people stop analysing what’s wrong and what’s right, if things are within the laws,” Erasmus said, of the controversy over the Bomb Squad,” he said.
“You adapt to it and kind of embrace it. It’s a nice feeling.
“Not because you feel everyone criticised us and now we’re being proven right — it’s not that. I’m glad that people are trying not to find a problem with that.”
