Share

England eager to break Bok losing cycle

Cape Town - England defence coach Paul Gustard says that England are out to break their 10 year losing streak to South Africa in November.

2006 was the last time England managed to tame the Springboks and since then it has been one way traffic in the cross-continental clash in favour of the Sub-Saharans.

"Our expectancy is to keep on improving, it’s a new challenge and an opportunity to win four games at home and an opportunity to beat South Africa for the first time since 2006," Gustard told Englandrugby.com.

"No one in the current squad has beaten South Africa, we are on a journey to 2019 and this is the next step in the journey."

Gustard is striving for perfection as he mentors England's defensive capabilities and despite their three-Test series white-wash of the Wallabies Gustard says there is room for improvement.

Not content with helping create history Paul Gustard’s thoughts were already turning to how they could improve. Gustard says England missed too many tackles, with a less than 90 per cent success rate.

England missed 80 tackles during their three games in Australia and so the England defence coach immediately looked for ways to rectify the issue.

He has since flown to New Zealand to learn off rugby league club Warriors. Travelled to Wigan and Warrington to try and find the slightest advantage that will improve England in the autumn.

Along with fellow coaches Neal Hatley and Steve Borthwick they visited British Judo as they attempt to improve tackling and grappling.

"I think the second Test we won through sheer fight and determination and willingness ... That was a true representation of what England are about and the third Test wasn’t.

"We made soft errors, bad decisions and against a good team we would have got burnt. We can’t afford to do that."

England will play South Africa Fiji, Argentina and then Australia in the November/December international window.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2249 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE