www.silverguide.site –

What an emotional rollercoaster these past few days have been for English sport generally. From inglorious run chases at Trent Bridge to early exits at Wimbledon to the great escape against the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it has been a hectic week and a daunting Test at Ellis Park against the back-to-back world champions South Africa is not the obvious place to find a relaxing antidote.

There is a strong argument that facing the mighty Springboks at a venue where England last won 54 years ago ranks as the toughest proposition of the lot. The strength of the opposition, the altitude factor, the absence of the visiting skipper Maro Itoje … no wonder a mocked-up photo of Harry Kane with a rugby ball tucked under his arm has been gaining some decent traction online.

With Kane otherwise engaged in Mexico City, however, the best-case scenario goes something like this: England come charging out of the blocks, as they did when they established a 24-3 lead here on their last visit in 2018, while South Africa’s ageing pack – some of whom have played little rugby recently – take a while to get going. And once the 50-minute mark is reached, England then display the requisite fitness, nimble bench options and courage to lift the tempo another notch and cause a spectacular upset.

It is a momentarily seductive vision, bolstered by the average age of the Boks’ starting XV having crept up over 30. Rassie Erasmus is looking to coax his old-timers through to next year’s World Cup, with Siya Kolisi now 35 and Eben Etzebeth 34. But the game grows ever faster and the hosts are lacking their seriously talented fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who is injured. The Boks’ looming four-Test series against New Zealand is also their overriding priority this year.

At some stage, though, reality has to come crashing back into the building. The unavoidable issue for Steve Borthwick’s side is that South Africa simply do not lose at home to England very often. The last time it happened, on a damp day in Cape Town eight years ago, the series was already decided and the home side were fielding a reshuffled lineup. Prior to that there was a Jonny Wilkinson-inspired triumph in Bloemfontein in 2000, a Rob Andrew-guided victory in Pretoria in 1994 and the aforementioned ‘Old Testament’ win at Ellis Park in 1972.

There is also the not-so-small matter of the home scrum. Ox Nché – life motto: “Salads don’t win scrums” – Malcolm Marx and Thomas du Toit would be serious obstacles even if word hadn’t reached them that some English voices have been talking a good scrummaging game. On a podcast last month, for example, Ellis Genge nominated Joe Heyes as the best tighthead in the world, although that view did come with the caveat that the latter would still need to prove it “in the toughest arena” this weekend.

Such throwaway lines have not gone unnoticed within the South Africa camp, particularly given the high-profile scrum success they have enjoyed against England dating back to the 2019 World Cup. There was another notable example last November when Ireland were scrummed into oblivion in Dublin but Jamie George, Itoje’s replacement as captain, believes the English scrum “has taken huge steps” since their defeat by South Africa in the 2023 World Cup semi-final in Paris. “This is going to be a big battle for us on Saturday but we’ve been building towards it for a long period of time and I’m confident we’ll go toe to toe with them,” insists George.

Even George, though, concedes South Africa have been able to take “good forward packs apart” at various times. There is also the added distraction of the latest maul interpretations designed to stop players drifting up or ‘swimming around’ the side to disrupt clean possession while theoretically retaining their original bind. Now, if they go beyond the ball, they will have to disengage and rejoin at the back of the maul, potentially good news for powerful, organised attacking packs. Erasmus thinks it will make “a massive difference” and he is in a decent position to judge.

Listening to Kolisi on the eve of the game was also to be reminded what a remarkable unifying figure he has been since his first Test against England, coincidentally at Ellis Park. This will be his 72nd game in charge but there is no noticeable drop-off in motivation or appetite. “When you lose that feeling you know your time is up,” murmured Kolisi, also keen to ensure his roommate Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse mark their respective 50th caps in style at the expense of England’s young pretenders. “Age and experience doesn’t matter … it’s what you do on the day.”

All of which sounds a little ominous from an English perspective. Then again, Australia won 38-22 at Ellis Park last year from the depths of 22-0 down. Eight of the Springbok 23 were also involved in the Bulls’ heavy URC final defeat by Leinster last month so these are not totally invincible green giants. George, asked if English supporters should nurse any hope of a win, was suitably bullish. “We believe we can and we are going to give absolutely everything of ourselves to make sure we do that.

“We understand they are double world champions for a reason. But at the same time we haven’t flown over here just to take part in a fixture. We’ve got an opportunity to play for England and we’ve got an opportunity to come here and win. That’s why we’re here. The message has been that we are going to leave everything out there. I can see the players are ready to go and do that.”

He also singled out the extra heft of the returning George Martin, exactly the kind of forceful presence needed to withstand the likes of Etzebeth and the ever-influential Pieter-Steph du Toit. “He is just a seriously tough guy and he encapsulates what we want this forward pack to be about,” stressed George. “We’re going to need to all be a little bit more like that this weekend, I guess.”

Right there, for better or worse, is the unvarnished truth. England have talked repeatedly about their constant thirst for improvement and desire to move on from the frustrations of four successive Six Nations defeats. It makes this fixture a pivotal one, a test of accuracy, discipline and tactical alertness but also of collective character. Start slowly in South African rugby’s spiritual home and there really will be no place to hide.