Springboks v England: Three key match-ups

The Springboks and England go head-to-head in their end-of-year-tour match at Twickenham on Saturday with both chasing wins for differing reasons.

The Springboks, who have enjoyed a top year to date, winning nine of their 11 games, are targeting a clean sweep on their tour of the UK and started off with a solid 32-15 win over Scotland last weekend.

England are arguably their biggest challenge and if they can pick up another win on Saturday, they will head into their final match against Wales in Cardiff next weekend odds on to make it three wins out of three.

England have not had a great year, with four wins and six losses from their 10 games, and have suffered two tight defeats against the All Blacks and Wallabies in their last two games, so they will be desperate to bounce back with what would be a huge win over the Boks.

Here are three key battles that will take place between the two sides:

Forwards

Eben Etzebeth v Maro Itoje

It has been a fantastic year for Bok enforcer Etzebeth. He started off by clinching back-to-back SA Rugby Player of the Year titles in March. Since then he has gone on to feature in 10 of the Boks’ 11 games this season, and played a big part in helping them win the Rugby Championship.

He also became the most capped Springbok in history when he ran on the field for the Boks for the 128^th time in the match against Argentina in Mbombela. He will make his 130^th appearance for them against England on Saturday and will want to be a major presence once again.

Itoje is arguably England’s most valuable player, along with Marcus Smith, and he will need to put in a massive shift against a fearsome Bok pack if his side are to come close to winning the match.

The powerful lock has also enjoyed a strong rivalry with Etzebeth over the years, with both players getting in each other’s faces numerous times before. Itoje has also taken on a leadership role this year, with him captain of club side Saracens and one of England’s vice captains and he will want to show that off against the Boks.

Backs

Aphelele Fassi v Freddie Steward

Fassi has been the comeback kid this year, after a spectacular return to the Bok fold has seen him become an integral part of the team. He was dropped by the Boks in 2022, for a few reasons, with his poor defence one of the key ones, but he has since rectified that.

Fassi enjoyed a fantastic past season for the Sharks, and took that into the international season. He has also been able to capitalise on the injury woes of Bok first choice fullback Damian Willemse, who has not played a single game this year, and when he returns he will be seriously challenged by Fassi for the 15 jersey.

Steward will be aiming to emulate Fassi, with him being brought back into the England fold after a period on the sidelines. He was dropped by England halfway through the Six Nations, as they attempted to remodel their game, and he has only featured once since then during the mid-year internationals against the All Blacks in New Zealand.

Steward will now be aiming to make an impact on Saturday, and he will be desperate to put in a similar performance to the one he did in 2022 at Twickenham against the Boks when he played a big part in their win.

Bench

Handre Pollard v George Ford

Pollard could play a vitally important role for the Boks when he comes onto the field during this weekend’s match. Coach Rassie Erasmus has backed Manie Libbok as the starting flyhalf, signalling his side’s attacking intent in the game.

However. Libbok’s goalkicking struggles are still under the microscope and it will be interesting to see if he or Cheslin Kolbe take the kicks for poles in the match. If it is a tight game in the second half, Pollard could be the game changer with his dead-eye kicking coming to the fore in the closing moments of the match.

Ford has had a rough couple of games for England and he will be desperate to put in a strong cameo for England against the Boks. He will make his 99^th international appearance when he comes on the field, and he will want to make a strong impression ahead of his hundredth match.

Ford was ineffectual when he came on against the Wallabies last weekend, and had a nightmare cameo against the All Blacks, being bumped off for a try, missing a penalty and a drop goal to win the game. He will want to bounce back from those poor showings on Saturday.