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Cape Town - Former Springbok captain John Smit believes England have a very good chance of winning the first Test against the Springboks in Durban on Saturday.
The Springboks have won their last seven Tests against England, dating back to 2006 in London but Smit feels the fact that Stuart Lancaster's men had more time to prepare may count in their favour.
The Springbok players were still involved in Super Rugby duty on Saturday and only assembled together as a team in Durban on Sunday.
"They have the advantage that they had more time to prepare as a team and that could be important," Smit told Beeld.
"The Boks only have a few days to form a unit and that won't be easy."
However, coach Heyneke Meyer is confident they'll be able to make the best of the short preparation time they have.
"Obviously they've had a lot of time to prepare and they did really well in the Six Nations. But I really want to focus on our players and the time we've had," Meyer told the Associated Press.
The Durban Test is followed by Tests in Johannesburg (June 16) and Port Elizabeth (June 23).
The Springboks have won their last seven Tests against England, dating back to 2006 in London but Smit feels the fact that Stuart Lancaster's men had more time to prepare may count in their favour.
The Springbok players were still involved in Super Rugby duty on Saturday and only assembled together as a team in Durban on Sunday.
"They have the advantage that they had more time to prepare as a team and that could be important," Smit told Beeld.
"The Boks only have a few days to form a unit and that won't be easy."
However, coach Heyneke Meyer is confident they'll be able to make the best of the short preparation time they have.
"Obviously they've had a lot of time to prepare and they did really well in the Six Nations. But I really want to focus on our players and the time we've had," Meyer told the Associated Press.
The Durban Test is followed by Tests in Johannesburg (June 16) and Port Elizabeth (June 23).
