Tuesday 8 November 2016 10:50, UK
South Africa coach Allister Coetzee says England's expectation of a physical battle is guaranteed at Twickenham on Saturday.
Coetzee's position has come under scrutiny during a run of five defeats in nine Test matches, with critics hinting that he had moved too far away from the traditional Springboks game plan built on power.
England prop Mako Vunipola said on Monday he expected South Africa to be a 'brutal challenge' after a disappointing set of results in the Rugby Championship, although they have history to overcome.
South Africa have not been beaten by England in 10 years and Coetzee is determined to get his side back to winning ways and extend that streak when he comes up against Eddie Jones, a man he knows well from their time together on the Springboks coaching staff that won the 2007 World Cup.
They warmed up for their first autumn Test with an exciting 31-31 draw against the Barbarians on Saturday at Wembley.
"It will be a physical battle, I can guarantee you that. As Eddie says, you've got to match South Africa's physicality," Coetzee said.
"Rugby's about physical dominance. I feel comfortable with the words 'physical dominance'. It's about coming out on top at scrum-time and mauling. England maul a lot as well.
"We're looking for more variation at line-out time but the maul has always been a strength of ours.
"In terms of South African rugby, we want to find that balance and not let go of what made us a powerhouse before. We'd like to keep that and build on that.
"We're definitely underdogs in this case. We're playing against the second best team in the world at this point in time.
"They are on a nine-game winning streak, they went down to Australia and won all three Tests so there's a lot of confidence in the English side."
England will be without their injured first-choice second row duo Maro Itoje and George Kruis on Saturday but Coetzee said: "It's a strong side, irrespective of the so-called 'lock crisis' they profess to have.
"They have lost two quality locks but then you get Joe Launchbury back. He's a seasoned campaigner. There are hardly any weaknesses if you look at the way they're going to play."
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