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Dallaglio: Eng must beat Boks

Cape Town - Former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio says it's important for England to beat the Springboks when the teams clash at Twickenham next month.

The Springboks are the only major team England are yet to beat since Stuart Lancaster became coach, and with next year's Rugby World Cup in mind, Dallaglio has stressed the importance of getting a win over the Boks.

The last time the teams met was at Twickenham in 2012, when the Boks sneaked a 16-15 win. England haven't beaten South Africa since 2006, a run spanning 11 matches.

England will start the November Tests with a match against the All Blacks (November 8), who they beat at Twickenham in 2012, before facing the Springboks a week later (November 15). After that, they will also host Samoa (November 22) and Australia (November 29).

"Going into a World Cup you want to know in the back of your head that you can beat every side," Dallaglio told the Mirror. "And South Africa is the only side England haven't beaten under Stuart.

"In fact the last time they played them at Twickenham they got properly beaten up. So this is a fascinating fixture.

"If England can come away with two out of three southern hemisphere victories, that would show me that they are genuine World Cup contenders."

Dallaglio, 42, played 85 Tests for England between 1995 and 2007. He also played three Tests for the British and Irish Lions when they beat the Springboks 2-1 in 1997.


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