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Cape Town - Former Springbok flyhalf Joel Stransky is worried about the state of the current team and does not believe they will beat England on their year-end European tour.
The Boks start their tour with a clash against the Barbarians at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday, before Tests against England (London, November 12), Italy (Florence, November 19) and Wales (Cardiff, November 26.)
Stransky, who is renowned for kicking the winning drop goal in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, fears the worst for his former team.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 live, Stransky expressed his concerns about the players and coach.
Since Allister Coetzee took over earlier this year, the Springboks have lost five of nine Tests, including a humiliating 57-15 defeat to arch-rivals the All Blacks in their last encounter.
"We are going to suffer defeats - that's the reality. I don't think this is a team that can beat England,” said Stransky.
"It's a team that will struggle against Wales. It's a team that might even struggle against Italy. The likelihood is we are going to experience defeat."
According to Stransky, the current crop of players are not feared by their opponents.
He described the Bok team of three years ago as "good" and the one from five years ago as "great".
"Now we have a very average side. They're not particularly well coached, but if you look at the 15 players who are going to take to the field, it's not a team that can win a World Cup.”
The 49-year-old Stransky played 22 Tests for the Springboks between 1993 and 1996.
