England focused on ending streak

Editor

England are out to break their ten-year losing streak to South Africa in November according to defence coach Paul Gustard.%u200B

2006 was the last time England managed to tame the Springboks and since then it has been one way traffic in the cross-continental clash.

"Our expectancy is to keep on improving, it’s a new challenge and an opportunity to win four games at home and an opportunity to beat South Africa for the first time since 2006," Gustard told the England Rugby website.

"No one in the current squad has beaten South Africa, we are on a journey to 2019 and this is the next step in the journey." 

Gustard is striving for perfection as he mentors England's defensive capabilities and despite their three-test series white-wash of the Wallabies Gustard says there is room for improvement. 

Not content with helping create history Paul Gustard’s thoughts were already turning to how they could improve. Gustard says England missed too many tackles, with a less than 90 percent success rate.

England missed 80 tackles during their three games in Australia and so the England defence coach immediately looked for ways to rectify the issue.

He has since flown to New Zealand to learn from rugby league side, the NZ Warriors. Gustard also travelled to Wigan and Warrington to try and find the slightest advantage that will improve England in the autumn.

Along with fellow coaches Neal Hatley and Steve Borthwick, the trio also visited British Judo, as they attempt to improve tackling and grappling.

"I think the second Test we won through sheer fight and determination and willingness … That was a true representation of what England are about and the third Test wasn’t," Gustard explained.

"We made soft errors, bad decisions and against a good team we would have got burnt. We can’t afford to do that."

England will play South Africa Fiji, Argentina and then Australia in the November/December international window.