Five things to look out for from the Springboks at Twickenham

England host the Springboks in a one-off Test at Twickenham in London on Saturday (7.40pm). The match is the second on this European tour for the world champions, having beaten Scotland last weekend, while they are due to face Wales next Saturday.

With plenty of pride and bragging rights on the line, these are the five things to look out for from the Boks at Twickenham on Saturday.

Set-pieces

The Boks were solid at scrum time last week at Murrayfield, but they were again found wanting in the lineouts, as has been the case for much of the season.

Ruan Nortje was the caller in the Rugby Championship, but after injury ruled him out of this tour, Franco Mostert took over last week, coming into the side after a long injury layoff himself. This week, it’s RG Snyman who’ll wear the No 5 jersey and take charge of the lineouts.

Hooker Bongi Mbonambi has also struggled to find his jumpers, so there will be plenty pressure on the key lineout men against one of the stronger set-pieces in the game, in England.

Breakdowns

It was a very changed backrow that did duty against Scotland last week, with Kwagga Smith at 8, Elrigh Louw at 7 and Marco van Staden at 6, and if there was one area over the 80 minutes where the Scots bossed the Boks it was at the breakdowns.

The Boks were just off the pace and outgunned, but this week they are back to normal, with the familiar trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese packing down at 6, 7 and 8 while the inclusion in the starting team of RG Snyman at lock gives the Boks a stronger presence at the tackles and rucks, which should help with cleaning.

Bok back three

While Aphelele Fassi has enjoyed an outstanding season, making the No 15 jersey his own, he will be tested by the England kickers in their conditions, so this is a big test for the young fullback.

Also, while Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, who are considered slightly smaller than normal in world rugby terms today, have performed on the world’s biggest stages and size has never been an issue for them, England will surely look to target them with high kicks. It is something coach Rassie Erasmus is also expecting.

But, as we’ve seen so many times, if you give the Bok back three free ball you could end up doing more defending than you like.

All eyes on Libbok, Williams, Louw

Manie Libbok is the Boks’ best attacking No 10 and he showed what he can do against Argentina in Mbombela with a quality performance, but he’s again in the spotlight, in foreign conditions, and the pressure will be raised even more if he’s tasked with the goal-kicking.

And, inside him, Grant Williams, too, has a golden opportunity to make the No 9 jersey his own. Faf de Klerk appears to no longer be in the Bok picture, while Jaden Hendrikse got his turn last week, and Cobus Reinach plays off the bench on Saturday.

And up front, tighthead prop Wilco Louw, not considered for the tour when it was initially named, gets a surprise start, and what an opportunity awaits the 30-year-old.

Bok bench

There was plenty of chatter about the seven forwards and one back that featured from the bench against Scotland, but this week Erasmus has gone with the traditional split of five forwards and three backs, to counter England’s expected kicking game, the coach said in the build-up.

The Boks though look a little light in the forwards coming off the bench, but there’s more mobility and pace, while the three backs cover multiple positions.

Handre Pollard is sure to feature late on, either at 10 or maybe at 12, and handle any big goal-kicks, if it comes down to it, while Lukhanyo Am will be desperate to get a decent amount of game time as he fights to win back a starting place.