Springboks, England Renew Rivalry in Nations Championship Opener

The Springboks and England will reignite their fierce rivalry on Saturday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, marking the opening fixture of the inaugural Nations Championship. This highly anticipated match sees England return to the venue for the first time since their 2018 encounter, a game in which they squandered a significant lead against then-newly appointed Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

A Return to Ellis Park for England

Eight years ago, England walked onto Ellis Park, establishing a 24-point lead within 20 minutes, yet ultimately lost 42-39 recounting the 2018 epic. That match also marked the beginning of Erasmus’s tenure and Siya Kolisi’s captaincy, a period that has since yielded back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles for South Africa. England now faces a Johannesburg crowd that has waited eight years to renew this storied rugby animosity.

The build-up to this contest has been less than ideal for England, who are coming off their worst Six Nations campaign in history, securing only one win from five matches and suffering a first-ever defeat to Italy in 33 meetings. In contrast, the Springboks warmed up by scoring 80 points against the Barbarians in Gqeberha.

Erasmus and Borthwick Make Key Selections

Rassie Erasmus, who will draw level with Jake White’s record of 54 Tests in charge this weekend, has opted against blooding new talent, instead fielding a starting XV with only one player possessing fewer than 20 caps noting South Africa’s player selections. Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse are both set to earn their 50th caps, providing additional motivation for the Springboks, as Erasmus has openly stated their milestones “will certainly add to our motivation this week.” Manie Libbok will be at fly-half due to the injury of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while Handre Pollard, a regular tormentor of England, does not feature in the matchday 23.

Steve Borthwick has also made notable selections for England. Jamie George will captain the side from hooker, while Jack van Poortvliet surprisingly starts at scrum-half ahead of Alex Mitchell or Ben Spencer. Fin Smith will wear the 10 shirt, and Tom Curry returns to openside flanker, with Henry Pollock positioned on the bench as a potential second-half impact player. RugbyPass indicates that Steve Tandy, anticipating a significant boost from the England-based players, expects increased intensity from England following their warm-up fixture against the Barbarians, which he described as “friendly.”

Set-Piece Battle and Historical Context

The set-piece will be a critical battleground against the Springboks. The front row of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, and Thomas du Toit is considered the finest scrummaging unit in world rugby, with the current World Rugby Player of the Year, Marx, at its core. Eben Etzebeth returns from a hip injury to add his extensive 141-cap experience and physicality to the engine room. Planet Rugby highlighted that Ox Nche and Joe Heyes will directly clash in the front row during this pivotal encounter.

England’s scrum performed exceptionally well in Paris in March, securing seven tries and a forward performance that perhaps deserved more than a last-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos. Ellis Genge has consistently expressed confidence in his set-piece capabilities. Historically, the fixture makes for grim reading for England, with 47 meetings since 1906 resulting in 29 Springbok wins, 16 for England, and two draws. South Africa has won four of the last five encounters, including two World Cup knockout matches. England’s only victory in Johannesburg came at Ellis Park in 1972, and the most recent match, a 29-20 Springbok win at Twickenham in November 2024, followed a familiar pattern of English effort being dismantled by South African brute force.