South Africa vs. England (1st Test)
Match Preview

Blame it on the IRB. Blame it on the RFU. Blame it on the three English clubs who just couldn’t keep themselves out of last weekend’s European finals. Assign responsibility to anyone you like; we’re here, 40 players down, and there’s no use complaining about it now.

England can save whatever wound-licking and excuses may or may not be necessary for after this two-test series; for now there is a very serious job to do against a Springbok side in a similar position to England’s. Two South African sides contested the Super 14 final, masking a difficult period for the national side.

The difference is, unfortunately, quite a substantial one. The Bulls and Sharks players did not have to cross the equator to join up with their squad, and have been factored into the Springbok plans to send England all the way to 14^th September still reeling from this very series.

Brian Ashton has handed out three new caps, to Nick Wood, Dean Schofield and Mike Brown, in a side where youth and experience have been blended to unprecedented levels. Mark Regan and Stu Turner complete the front row alongside Wood, and all three will face a stern test tomorrow against a formidable Springbok scrimmaging unit. Brown has, in some respects, the easiest of the debuts, nested as he is into a backline with the caps and big match temperament to put the forwards to shame. Conversely, the 21-year-old Harlequin, can expect to see countless high balls plummeting from ridiculous altitudes. Should the majority end up safely in his arms, the return of Wasps, Tigers, Bath and the injured Mark Cueto may not be enough to oust him from the 15 shirt.

Brown’s Harlequins team-mate David Strettle has proved to be the only genuine casualty of the gastric flu bug that has infiltrated the England camp and his place on the wing has been taken, inexplicably and yet unsurprisingly, by Iain Balshaw, only called up to the squad to replace Ben Cohen. Balshaw’s place on the bench is yet to be allocated as Ashton waits to see if James Simpson-Daniel can make a full recovery from the self-same bug that has laid Strettle low.

Elsewhere, Jonny Wilkinson and Andy Farrell are reunited in the midfield for the first time since Croke Park, which I’d rather not mention again if that’s OK. In the pack, Andy Hazell represents the man with the greatest chance of forcing his way to the forefront of Ashton’s World Cup plans, and if he can follow up a superb season in an arduous but enthralling Premiership. Tom Rees maybe England’s number 1 number 7, but the Gloucester man could easily position himself behind Rees, ready to mount a serious challenge over the coming months.

South Africa, meanwhile, welcome back Ashwin Willemse to their starting line-up to partner Bryan Habana on the wings. Their pack looks, well, ominous. Botha, Matfield, Burger and Smit form the core of a rather large unit that common sense says should be far too much for England.

So, no more moaning about the European absentees. But a glance towards last Sunday’s Heineken Cup Final could well point England in the right direction. A team of underdogs not given a chance by anyone in the press built victory around defence, a fearlessness in contact, unfailing self-belief and a refusal to bullied by a bigger pack. Let Rees, Worsley and Vickery be there in spirit for England tomorrow afternoon!

Please note, since article was written, Nick Wood has been forced to pull out of the 1st Test with a chest injury to be replaced by Saracens prop Kevin Yates.

Replacements: M Cairns (Saracens), D Crompton (Bristol), R Winters (Bristol), P Sanderson (Worcester), A Gomarsall (Harlequins), T Flood (Newcastle), TBA

South Africa: P Montgomery (Sharks); A Willemse (Lions), W Olivier (Bulls), J de Villiers (Stormers), B Habana (Bulls); B James (Sharks), R Januarie (Lions); D Carstens (Sharks), J Smit (Sharks, capt), B J Botha (Sharks), B Botha (Bulls), V Matfield (Bulls), S Burger (Stormers), J Smith (Cheetahs), D Rossouw (Bulls).
Replacements: G Steenkamp (Bulls), G Botha (Bulls), C J van der Linde (Cheetahs), J Muller (Sharks), P Spies (Bulls), R Pienaar (Sharks), F Steyn (Sharks).

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