On the wing: Mike Brown
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South Africa will be looking to add to their ten-game unbeaten run against England when the two nations collide at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday.
Not since the 2006 November internationals have the Boks been pipped by the Red Rose, which is a streak the English are desperate to stamp out.
Only fly-half Toby Flood was involved in that 23-21 victory at this venue and he is one of just three England players to make their debut pre-2010.
Experience is something that Stuart Lancaster is looking to instill in preparation for Rugby World Cup 2015 and it has to be said that when that tournament kicks off, his squad will have both a healthy amount of wins and defeats to utilise in the memory bank - much like the group of 2003.
South Africa meanwhile seem to be a little further down the road to satisfaction as, despite regular grumbles about the defensive gameplan, the tough Springboks are at least demonstrating the cutthroat edge that is needed to triumph in Test rugby. Their attack will improve given time.
Heyneke Meyer's team selection this week shows trust in his players - as we witnessed in the recent Rugby Championship - and it's that faith in Springboks such as Juan de Jongh and Pat Lambie that he hopes will be repaid. Lambie has been told by Meyer to display greater attacking intent at Twickenham than he did at Murrayfield, which will be music to the ears of their supporters who longed for his inclusion when Morne Steyn was at number ten.
It is a different story for the outfit swapping purple for white this coming Saturday as coach Lancaster has wielded the axe on Thomas Waldrom, Charlie Sharples and Tom Palmer, with Waldrom especially unlucky to get the chop after topping both the carrying and tackle statistics against the Australians. Furthermore it was strange to drop the Leicester number eight seeing as Premiership followers have known for seasons what Waldrom's strengths and specialist skills have been. So why now is it suddenly not what England is looking for? Maybe Ben Morgan's upcoming performance this weekend could shed some light on it.
Sharples' omission, meanwhile, is also a touch harsh as we side with former England left wing Mark Cueto's stance that if Sharples is being given an opportunity then surely one has to afford him time to bed into the set-up. His place goes to Harlequins full-back Mike Brown, someone I have long supported to wear England's fifteen jersey because of the threat he poses both at the back and also when he appears up in the first line of attack. However, to play him on the wing is another bold move as while it may help negate South Africa's kicking plan, it will limit England's wide threat. "We have picked a team that will give us the best chance of beating South Africa," Lancaster said after also naming lock Joe Launchbury.
Does that mean England will be bombarding Zane Kirchner? The selection of Ben Youngs ahead of their final dropped player, Danny Care, hints at yes. Consequently we shouldn't expect anywhere near a classic fixture at Twickenham this weekend and the likelihood of tries being scored is pretty much summed up by the "No Try-Scorer" betting option being fourth on the bookies' list behind Chris Ashton, Francois Hougaard and JP Pietersen.
If Pietersen - not on press conference duty this week we might add - was to cross the line on Saturday then it would see him overtake wing Chester Williams in the Springboks' try-scoring list while Jean de Villiers will pass Bryan Habana on 83 caps to move behind Joost van der Westhuizen (89). Personal milestones aside though and it will be the all-important result that matters as England hope for a lift while the Springboks go for eleven straight.
Ones to watch:
For England: Obvious backline candidates are Ben Youngs and Mike Brown, with both's kicking game set to play a part in how things materialise. However we go for Ben Morgan and Alex Corbisiero as the England forward duo have a lot of weight on their shoulders this weekend. Morgan made certain Stuart Lancaster could not overlook him with three tries in the LV= Cup while loosehead Corbisiero has to get on top of Bok Jannie du Plessis.
For South Africa: Rain is expected on Saturday so putting their pack in the right areas for direct running will be key from Ruan Pienaar and Patrick Lambie. The duo have class in abundance with power runners like Willem Alberts and Duane Vermuelen to call upon, the territorial gameplan is expected to be another area of importance. How can we ignore Adriaan Strauss' form too as the faith shown in the vice-captain has paid off in spades.
Head-to-head: Despite being in the news for alleged contact with the eye area at Murrayfield, Eben Etzebeth was subsequently cleared of all wrongdoing and is ready to take to the field against England's newest face Joe Launchbury. The young Wasps lock has rave reviews and has definitely demonstrated he has what it takes at the international level when coming off the replacements bench in recent weeks, so their battle is one to keep tabs on. Etzebeth is tough customer so Launchbury must front up. Meanwhile the back-row battle also excites as six high-quality loose forwards go toe-to-toe in what will be a critical area at HQ.
Recent results:
2012: 14-14 draw in Port Elizabeth
2012: South Africa won 36-27 in Johannesburg
2012: South Africa won 22-17 in Durban
2010: South Africa won 21-11 in London
2008: South Africa won 42-6 in London
2007: South Africa won 15-6 in Paris
2007: South Africa won 36-0 in Paris
2007: South Africa won 55-22 in Pretoria
2007: South Africa won 58-10 in Bloemfontein
2006: South Africa won 25-14 in London
2006: England won 23-21 in London
2004: England won 32-16 in London
2003: England won 25-6 in Perth
Prediction: The talk coming out of South Africa's camp is of tired bodies and limited training sessions which, while believable after a long, arduous year, will surely be put to one side in their season finale. Both sides are struggling to show much in an attacking sense but last week the Springboks definitely had more to smile about than England. And with rain set to fall at Twickenham, I just feel the powerful Springboks may edge it by 5 on Saturday!
The teams:
England: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Mike Brown, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Chris Robshaw (c), 6 Tom Wood, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Alex Corbisiero.
Replacements: 16 David Paice, 17 David Wilson, 18 Mako Vunipola, 19 Mouritz Botha, 20 James Haskell, 21 Danny Care, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Jonathan Joseph.
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Jean de Villiers (c), 11 Francois Hougaard, 10 Pat Lambie, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Juandré Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Marcell Coetzee, 21 Elton Jantjies, 22 Jaco Taute, 23 Lwazi Mvovo.
Date: Saturday 24 November
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick-off: 14:30 GMT (16:30 SA time)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Television match official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
By Adam Kyriacou
@PlanetRugbyAK
Comments
Ruckingkiwi says...
Walleroo, I'm not sure a sample size of 9 can be called meaningful.
Banters all well and good if it's new and creative but unfortunately here it's unimaginative, boring, old and wreaks of being a poor loser. That's why we think its bullsh1t, like ya rugby team ;) Well played SA by the way, a reasonable return for the tour.
Posted 20:18 24th November 2012
jonesy2 says...
as england have literally no half decent rugby players to pick from, illustrated perfectly by the inclusion of james haskell, a man who was clearly out of his depth in super rugby and wasn't in the highlanders best 22, the boks should win but as we know the boks love to play seemingly unnecessarily close games and drop games they should win.
Posted 13:25 24th November 2012
Bambo says...
new_j4a to bokavenger - you are 'the equivalent of Eugene Terreblanche'! This from our very own reincarnation of the 'smut comic' Bernard Manning ( http://tinyurl.com/bv22cjg) ! The irony. Enough to make you weep. Pot kettle. Kettle pot. Keep swigging the Kool Aid 'justice' so you may never see that you are what you are.
Posted 12:22 24th November 2012
Wallaroo says...
@jmanngod, there are a lot worse than Trinats, most of his work is banter.
Outside of BokAggressor, jonesy2 is by far the most offensive poster. Oh I forgot he also supports the AB's so his outlandish and childish behaviour can be overlooked.
Funny how when Trinats picks on sides other than NZ they are not as offended, yet Kiwis are always blaming everyone else for taking offence yet themselves are the worst offenders of not being able to cope with the banter.
Mate truth is NZ has it's fair share of BokAggressor's and jonesy2's too; I have a few Kiwi mates (well 9 to be exact), most of whom can't handle banter. I respect their position and so refrain, when they do cop it and it's gonna happen living in Aus they lose it.
So which is worse giving it or not being able to take it? In my opinion the later but you are entitled to disagree.
Posted 12:07 24th November 2012
colvin says...
At least England are wearing white shirts and not pretty pink.
Those English players who grew up dreaming of representing their country in the white strip of England now get their chance.
Those that grew up dreaming of representing their country in pretty pink will have to wait till next time.
Posted 11:56 24th November 2012
colvin says...
At least England are wearing white shirts and not pretty pink.
Those English players who grew up dreaming of representing their country in the white strip of England now get their chance.
Those that grew up deaming of representing their country in pretty pink will have to wait till next time.
Posted 11:55 24th November 2012
latin says...
etzebeth and de jongh, most talented and best looking rugby players.........have you seen him dance
Posted 08:53 24th November 2012
new_j4a says...
@BokAvenger says..."new_j4a: I see you still have a crush on me." I must say that your post show a smidgen more intellect than they used to, but I put this down to the help you are getting from the editor. You are still pretty much the rugby fanatic's equivalent of Eugene Terreblanche.
Posted 06:54 24th November 2012
BokAvenger says...
@new_j4a: I see you still have a crush on me.
Posted 05:45 24th November 2012
jmanngod says...
@ PR and Re: Bokavenger... thank you for moderation work... much appreciated - Please add Trinats to your list
Posted 01:27 24th November 2012
Kent says...
@ Rugby rockstar (sic) . You seem to have a lot too say. Unfortunately for the rest of us it's all rubbish.
Posted 22:23 23rd November 2012
JayStarr says...
@ rolf: 1900 characters. I flirt with it often.
@ Fish_in_DC: It's not Crusty the Clown, he's Sideshow Bob! The resemblance is uncanny. But yeah, he loses possession often... usually by kicking it away.
Posted 21:25 23rd November 2012
new_j4a says...
@PR..."from BokAvenger: PR, why are you blocking my hilarious comments? You are depriving all and sundry on this forum from my witicisms and intellect"
Thank you PR!!!....there's a case of scotch in the post if you keep it up...2 if you make it absolute....3 if you make it absolute and permanent. (The average IQ will go through the roof)
Posted 17:56 23rd November 2012
carpelone says...
Game # 1 in my couch potato priority list for the week end.
Posted 17:55 23rd November 2012
carpelone says...
Boks should run away with this, also because England will look forward to the game with New Zealand. I thought that, then I froze chilled when I read PR's kiss of death.
England by 6.
Posted 15:02 23rd November 2012
zambokke says...
I hope that if Sideshow Bob begins look vunerable, even if faily early on, that HM will shuffle the players as required. I would not be comfortable with him moving Lambie to 15 however if it meant putting Elton at 10. I would prefer to see Taute go to 15 and Lambie stay at 10. One more game! Oorlog! Go Bokke!!
Posted 14:55 23rd November 2012
BokAvenger says...
PR, why are you blocking my hilarious comments? You are depriving all and sundry on this forum from my witicisms and intellect
Posted 14:43 23rd November 2012
APV1 says...
@ rugby_rockstar - Brown on the wing is an interesting choice. Personally I'd have Biggs on the wing, Brown at 15 and Goode replacing Farrell on the bench. I know Biggs hasn't been tested at this level, but he's having a cracking season at Bath and really deserves a shot (even if I do say so, as a biased Bath fan with my blue, black and white-tinted specs on. Eh, lawynd..!). We'd then have good bench cover and a great, complimentary, back 3. Brown with his work, attack and big boot. Ashton with his sniping runs and finishing. And Biggs able to carve up a broken field almost as well as Bendy or Robinson.
@ jestnation - SA have Flo and he's been a very effective 7 for them (although, because they're all peculiar, he wears 6!). He's excellent at disrupting the breakdown and making a nuisance of himself.
England by 8. No 5. Maybe 3. Ok, a draw. Boks by 4. No, 7. England by 12. Boks by 3. No, definitely a draw. England by 5. England by 6.
Oh, who knows..?!
Here's to a cracking game!
Posted 14:14 23rd November 2012
Trinats2 says...
Wallaroo:
I was going to predict the same score, but it's going to be raining, so I'll go with 6 - 3 to the Poms.
Posted 13:56 23rd November 2012
Fish_in_DC says...
@Jaystarr - I'll extend your analysis - that the Donci does cough up the ball all too often. How many times do we see him lose it in contact or go to ground only to see the turnover? That's just one more frustration with Doncinus (aka Krusty the Cloud)
Posted 12:35 23rd November 2012