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Cape Town - English scribes were not impressed by the Springboks’ performance against the Barbarians at Wembley on Saturday.
A late rally from South Africa saw them overcome a 12-point deficit to draw 31-31 with the invitation side.
However, their inability to dominate against a make-shift team spells danger, especially with a match against England at Twickenham looming this weekend.
Michael Aylwin, writing for The Guardian, feels South Africa’s fortunes against England look bleak.
“If South Africa stood no chance before, their prospects can hardly have been transformed by this curious, if entertaining, version of international rugby,” he wrote.
“They looked completely outplayed by a side very obviously intent on having a good time.”
It was largely experimental Springbok side though and Aylwin did mention that a different Bok line-up would take to the field at Twickenham.
Steve James, writing for the Sunday Telegraph, also gives the Boks no chance at Twickenham this weekend:
He wrote: “(The Boks) are such a mess in all respects, from their structure back home to their recent record of four losses in the last five Tests to their quota-affected selection to their tactical confusion that there seems to be only one result possible in London on Saturday: England will win."
The Sunday Times’ headline read: ‘Springboks in turmoil’, with Stephen Jones writing: ‘If they win (against England), it will be a magnificent effort against all odds.'
Dan Schofield, also writing for the Sunday Telegraph, was not impressed by what he saw against the Barbarians. He described South Africa's tackling as "weak" and goes on to say that their breakdown work "left a lot to be desired as they conceded an eye-watering 25 turnovers."
