South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus has labelled England “desperate” ahead of Saturday’s clash at Twickenham, a match he feels will be a “very tough” game for the Springboks.
Erasumus’ side defeated Scotland 32-15 on Saturday at Murrayfield, outscoring the hosts four tries to nil. It was the first match of a three-Test series for the Springboks where they next face England and then Wales.
The South Africa coach said he is wary of the threat England face after they have lost twice already in November by narrow margins. England lost to New Zealand 24-22 on Nov. 2 and then lost at the death against Australia last weekend, the Wallabies scoring in the 83rd minute of the match to win 42-37.
Erasmus said he is expecting a response from Steve Borthwick’s side next weekend. “Twickenham will be a different kind of pressure. It’s a very desperate team, who have lost two matches now,” Erasmus said.
“Australia might not be up there rankings-wise but we know where they’re going with Joe Schmidt. England is now that desperate team who almost beat New Zealand, almost beat Australia, so it’s going to be a very tough game.”
South Africa were non-plussed with their win over Scotland, despite outscoring the hosts. “We obviously set high standards, we drive it within the team,” Eben Etzebeth said.
“We want to keep on performing and we know now and again there is going to be a performance which we are not that proud of.”
Further reading:
– Autumn rugby internationals: What is a 20-minute red card?
– Autumn rugby union international fixtures 2024
– Watch: What does South African fly-half Handrè Pollard think of his teammates?