Erasmus happy to renew English rivalry

June 29, 2026 13

Springbok coach, Rassie Erasmus, says England remain one of South Africa’s toughest opponents as the two rugby giants prepare to renew that rivalry when they face off in their Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The world champions head into the Test having won the last three meetings between the sides, at Twickenham in 2022 and 2024, as well their nail-biting 16-15 victory in the 2023 Rugby World Cup semi-final in Paris, France.

Despite England enduring their worst-ever Six Nations campaign earlier this year, including a first-ever defeat to Italy, Erasmus insists his side will not underestimate them.

“It’s always a great rivalry,” Erasmus said at Monday’s team announcement in Johannesburg.

“I remember when I was playing we were chasing 17 wins in a row under Nick Mallett, and England took that [attempted world record] away from us.

“I also played in the [1999] World Cup [quarter-final] where Jannie de Beer kicked five drop goals and we went through to the next stage. They’ve taken glory away from us at times, and then obviously we’ve had World Cup finals against them [2007 and 2019], and some pretty important games, some were one-pointers. So it’s always tough.”

Erasmus also highlighted England’s depth, describing them as one of the strongest rugby nations in the world.

“They’re one of the countries, like us, with a huge player base,” Erasmus added. “I think France has the biggest player base, England the second biggest and South Africa the third.”

Team announcement: 50-up for Willemse and Kolbe against England this weekend – more here: https://t.co/ucQu8yf9RK 🙌

Tickets: https://t.co/vHNxb0bVoE 🎟️#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold pic.twitter.com/gLBkfAY49m

— Springboks (@Springboks) June 29, 2026