The Springboks head into their final Test of 2008 seeking a morale-boosting victory against England at Twickenham ahead of next year’s home series with the British and Irish Lions.

The world champions’ “hit and run” tour of Britain this month has so far yielded wins in the past two weekends over Six Nations grand slam champions Wales, 20-15 in Cardiff, and Scotland, beaten 14-10 at Murrayfield in a match where the Springboks were 10-0 down at half-time. Victory over England, the team they defeated 15-6 in last year’s World Cup final in Paris, would complete the treble. By not playing Ireland, the other country that along with the three other Home Unions contributes players to the Lions, South Africa have, unlike fellow tourists New Zealand, denied themselves the chance of a grand slam. But while Lions coach Ian McGeechan has been taking the opportunity to observe the Springboks, centre Jean de Villiers said they too had been engaged in useful reconnaissance. “We always knew this whole tour would be important for our preparation for next year, and so will this result,” said De Villiers. De Villiers, who missed most of last year’s World Cup campaign through injury, added: “We just want to improve on our two performances on this tour and end on a high. “You want that mental edge, you want to go into a Lions series knowing you’ve beaten the individuals first.”

England manager Martin Johnson says his players need to be a “bit smarter” if they are to beat the Boks.

“The guys have got to be aware that three points against South Africa is a big deal. They add up and the World Cup final is a classic example,” he said. “On Saturday [in losing to Australia] we gave away some silly penalties and we were unlucky a few times, but as a team we do need to become a bit smarter on the field. “A lot of that is because we have a new team coming together. That is not an excuse, but we have to function better in what we are trying to do.”

Julian Guyer, Sapa-AFP

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