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Boks expect huge physical, tactical battle at Twickenham

Cape Town - Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi reckons his team can expect a huge physical and tactical battle on Saturday against England at Twickenham.

The match is also the opening fixture of South Africa's 2018 Outgoing Tour to the United Kingdom and France.

Kolisi, appointed as Springbok captain in June, led the Springboks to a hard fought 2-1 series win over Eddie Jones' team back then and Saturday is set to face the Roses for the first time at Twickenham.

READ: 16 stats and facts: England v Springboks

The Springboks are looking forward to the English clash at their Twickenham fortress, according to Kolisi.

"Playing against England, in front of a packed Twickenham, the home of rugby, is a huge occasion for us and one that we are very much looking forward to," said the South African skipper.

The Springbok series win in June does not make the South Africans favourites for Saturday.

"The last time we met they beat us in Cape Town, so we know it's going to be a huge contest between two sides that will be desperate to win," said Kolisi.

"England is a disciplined side and they believe in their system and processes. It has worked well for them and I expect nothing less on Saturday.

"We saw in the series back home that they know how to control the game and we are expecting a very good tactical game from them," Kolisi indicated.

"We can expect a hard set piece battle, they are playing at home in front of their Twickenham crowd who will be supporting them all the way."

Kolisi mentioned that this match and the tour in general form part of the Springbok planning for next year's Rugby World Cup in Japan. 

"We only have four more games left after the end of year tour, so this tour is a very important one for us as a squad. It will give us the opportunity to gain more experience playing together as a group, and more importantly, give us the chance to play every week in different environments and conditions," said Kolisi.

The Test kicks off at 17h00 SA time.

Teams:

England

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (co-captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Brad Shields, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Dylan Hartley (co-captain), 1 Alec Hepburn 

Substitutes: 16 Jamie George, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Zach Mercer, 21 Danny Care, 22 George Ford, 23 Chris Ashton

South Africa

15 Damian Willemse, 14 S’bu Nkosi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Thomas du Toit, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 André Esterhuizen

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