England assistant coach Kevin Sinfield says the presence of Felix Jones and Joe Lewis in the Springbok setup is no cause for concern as the two sides prepare to meet at Ellis Park this Saturday in the Nations Championship opener.
Jones departed the England camp earlier this year after a single season, while Lewis has more recently joined the Boks as an analyst. Sinfield acknowledged the crossover but framed it as an accepted feature of modern rugby.
"I know both Felix Jones and Joe Lewis well," Sinfield said. "I think it's normal now for coaches and analysts and different staff members to switch nations. Rassie also said there's IP getting shared across as these staff members move, so it's part of sport now; we just get on with it."
The two camps arrive at the Nations Championship with markedly different agendas. Erasmus has been clear that the three Tests against England, Scotland and Wales serve as squad-depth building and a precursor to the Greatest Rivalry Tour to New Zealand in August, with winning non-negotiable throughout.
England's calculus is different. Coming off a disastrous Six Nations, Sinfield described Saturday's match as a benchmark test rather than a statement of intent.
"It would be foolish to look beyond South Africa at this stage," he said. "We want to put out our best foot forward this week and test ourselves against the world number one team when they are on their own patch. It's a real test to see where we are at."
Sinfield acknowledged there are specific areas England need to address but declined to detail them publicly. On the Nations Championship format itself, he reserved judgement, citing the travel demands on players as a factor he wants to assess over the full three weeks. England face Fiji and Argentina after the Springbok fixture.