A Jake White tactical blunder and a poor final 15 minutes snatched defeat from the brink of a Twickenham victory. Can the Springboks turn things around this weekend against a very poor English side? What used to be a walk in the park has turned into mission impossible! Can Jake White’s 2006 Boks win for the first time at Twickenham since 1997?
Nick Mallett only did it once, Harry Viljoen almost did it, Rudolph Straeuli didn’t even come close, and Jake White is still searching for it. Clearly a Springbok win over England at Twickenham has become as rare as a planned Bok backline move.

What the Springboks need now more then ever is a more dynamic and unpredictable approach to their game. Their backline is young and bubbling with creativity and they have a forward pack that should be able to hold their own. Whether a heavy and greasy Twickenham pitch is the best place to unleash this “new age” Bok team is questionable.

Let’s hope that at 19:00 on Saturday, Jake’s men would have answered that question in the affirmative.

Squads:

We have already mentioned the Springbok squad heres the English lineup:

Forwards: Andrew Sheridan (Sale Sharks), Perry Freshwater (Perpignan), Julian White (Leicester), Stuart Turner (Sale Sharks), George Chuter (Leicester), Lee Mears (Bath), Ben Kay (Leicester), Danny Grewcock (Bath), Tom Palmer (Wasps), Chris Jones (Sale Sharks), Pat Sanderson (Worcester), Lewis Moody (Leicester), Tom Rees (Wasps), Magnus Lund (Sale Sharks), Martin Corry (Leicester), James Forrester (Gloucester).

Backs: Iain Balshaw (Gloucester), Olly Morgan (Gloucester), Josh Lewsey (Wasps), Mark Cueto (Sale Sharks), Paul Sackey (Wasps), Ben Cohen (Northampton), Mathew Tait (Newcastle), Anthony Allen (Gloucester), Jamie Noon (Newcastle), Toby Flood (Newcastle), Charlie Hodgson (Sale Sharks), Andy Goode (Leicester), Peter Richards (Gloucester), Shaun Perry (Bristol).