Having overcome the test of France last weekend, you might expect that Rassie Erasmus and South Africa would be in a more relaxed mood ahead of their Rugby World Cup semi-final meeting with England on Saturday.
The meeting between the Springboks and the hosts at the Stade de France was viewed by many as a showdown between the two best teams at the tournament, a suggestion that holds up when you consider the level of performance that both sides produced on the day.
In the end, the southern hemisphere side did just about enough to get over the line and keep their World Cup defence alive.
You would expect that England will not provide such a stern test in their next game, but knowing Rassie Erasmus, he was always going to his best to put pressure on the opposition in the buildup to that fixture.
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Rassie Erasmus makes unorthodox move ahead of England clash
Rassie Erasmus was speaking in a press conference today ahead of the semi-final against England, bigging up the challenge that Steve Borthwick's side would present. He would also hint that there was not a lot between the two squads on paper.
To talk about the All Blacks would be disrespectful to England because they're a massive, massive speed bump for us to get over.
More so a pothole than a speed bump because I was just looking at the possible teams I think can play. They have so many experienced players that played against us last time.
I think because they've played us in the World Cup final they will have some beef with us. I think they will be very physical, they will definitely step it up at all set phases...
I think we have averaged 200 minutes per player, they 260. I think the average caps of our team will be about 54, they'll be about 59. I think the average age of our team is 30, the average age of their team about 29. And then the average weight is 104 (kilograms) and 105.
England are unbeaten, they stuck to their guns since he (Borthwick) has been appointed, and they kept believing in what they're doing and it's paying off.
You can see their team is full of belief and they will definitely be hurting from not just last year when we beat them (27-13 at Twickenham) but also from the World Cup in 2019. So they will be a very, very desperate team and a team which we respect.
At this point, he would then make a very unorthodox move.
When questioned about the team he expected England to play, Rassie Erasmus would name the full matchday squad that he expected Steve Borthwick to select for the game.
Mind games? 🧠🤔
South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus predicts England's starting lineup for their Rugby World Cup semi-final meeting this weekend 🔮 pic.twitter.com/q6YlX4HWwq— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 18, 2023
Knowing the South African, this move was no accident.
It will be interesting to see if affects England's buildup to the game, a fixture which they will enter as huge underdogs.
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