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Cape Town - England loose forward Chris Robshaw says they will face a different Springbok outfit to the one which went down to Wales in Washington DC last weekend.
Rassie Erasmus’ Boks fell 22-20 to Warren Gatland’s men in the US capital, where their starting XV had less caps (134) than Wales’ Bradley Davies and George North had between them (135).
But despite South Africa’s recent dip in form - the Boks are currently ranked 7th on the World Rugby rankings - Robshaw is aware of the threat posed by Erasmus’ team.
“The South Africans are getting a bit of form back and playing well, they might be coming off the back of a couple of losses but they have some great players in there, as well as a new coach,” Robshaw told England Rugby’s official website from their training base in Durban.
“We’re unsure of what they’re going to bring, I’m sure they’ll have some tricks up their sleeve, and we have to be ready for that.”
Robshaw captained England on their last trip to South Africa - a series the visitors lost 2-0 after drawing the final Test in Port Elizabeth.
The second match of that visit was played at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park - the venue for Saturday’s series opener - and was a game England lost 36-27.
“We weren’t as ready as we hoped we were, we allowed them to get momentum and we were playing catch up the whole game. This time around we have to meet that head on in the first minute,” Robshaw noted.
“Bar Twickenham, Ellis Park is the best rugby stadium I have ever played at due to the intensity it brings, the atmosphere and the passion levels.
“We are looking forward to it, we are under no illusions about how hard it is going to be, and we have spoken about how hard it is to go there and be successful.”
Saturday’s Test is scheduled for 17:05.
