Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick have cautioned against any sense of complacency ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park, describing the match as one that will demand full execution from the world's top-ranked side.
Kick-off is at 17h40, live on SuperSport.
Stick identified England's backline pace, their aerial game and Finn Smith's attacking threat at flyhalf as the primary concerns, noting that Smith's selection ahead of George Ford signals England's intent to bring energy and unpredictability. "Their backline has players with massive speed and an X-factor," Stick said, while also flagging England's set-piece reliability and their strength in the contestable kicking game as areas requiring careful preparation.
Kolisi was equally measured, dismissing any suggestion that world ranking or home advantage makes South Africa outright favourites. He pointed directly to England's 2023 World Cup semi-final performance as the clearest evidence of what the Springboks face. "They almost took us out of the World Cup in the semi-final, and something we learned from that game is that if you don't execute your plan very well against England, they have the potential to punish you."
He also cautioned against reading too much into England's Six Nations results, noting that their final match against France went to the wire. "Results-wise, I don't think we can take too much from their Six Nations campaign," Kolisi said. "They are going to be psyched up for this match and will pitch up physically."
On the prospect of facing Tom Curry, Kolisi was characteristically direct. "He's one of the toughest guys I've ever played against. I remember since 2018, and then in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final too. He's a special human being."
The consistent thread from both Kolisi and Stick was that the match will be decided up front and in the kicking battle — two areas where England have historically matched the Springboks — and that the margin for error is narrow. "If we don't pitch up and execute in the set pieces and in our kicking game, we're going to be in trouble," Kolisi warned.