Rassie Erasmus has acknowledged the challenge posed by England ahead of their Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park next weekend, describing Steve Borthwick's travelling squad as young yet experienced.
The Springbok coach, who named his 46-man squad on Saturday, noted England's average age of 27 and Test cap tally of around 32. "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 semi-final, and who have competed really well off the back of the Premiership," Erasmus said. "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."
England fly-half Marcus Smith, who has now earned 50 Test caps, said his side are determined to make an early impression in the new competition. "It's one shot," Smith said. "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."
England's 36-man squad are due to arrive in Johannesburg on Thursday, having trained in oxygen masks at Bagshot to prepare for the Highveld conditions. When asked about England loose forward Henry Pollock, Erasmus praised the youngster's recent output. "He's like Siya. People make a big deal about certain players, but I don't always think the players themselves want that attention," Erasmus said. "What counts is what they do on the field, and recently, he's been doing that."