WXV 1 : Manon Bigot forfait

He clearly was not a 12, he was a winger who was probably a bit past it. He could have been a devastating winger in the NMS mould had he switched codes at least 5 years earlier, and then looked to move in if he developed the skills.

JAS looked no more lost on defence than Reiko did on the NH tour in 2021. With his ability in the air he will have an impact on every game no matter what position because they can create plays around him and position him accordingly, but his running and offloading threat in the midfield will attract otherwise disinterested defenders which could (and did) lead to all sorts of opportunities.

They should also get him competing in the line out, he won't even need a lifter!

Fassie, a weekend special

I like hi getting regular touches and he is a good defender learning his responsibilities. We have a problem at 12 and he and Len feel like a great answer. If Kerevi proves himself to be still the best 12 option, Joseph can fill the wing spot being warmed by Pietsche.

There is immense speed in that backline. England need a miracle. The Boks have the best defence and attack this year. This Bok team is different from the one from the semi. Most the same players, but way different tactics from last year.

Manie Libbok has a lot to prove and with Sacha basically making the 10 his own with exceptional games this year, I'm sure he will be out to showcase just how dangerous he is. No one in the team except a few is absolutely certain of their places. The rest is going to go hard at the English to prove why they should be considered every time.

These Boks targeted the English game as the toughest of the Autumn nations series. This is the game they want to win. They want to prove that the WC semi result was a fluke. They want to show just why they are the current Kings of rugby.

It's hard to stop a team who has lost only 2 Tests this year, both by a point. It could've been 11/11. What makes it scarier is that in each and every Test, they swapped many players and still came away with wins. The ability to muscle and grind out wins is this team's best attribute.

They believe in their coaches and each and every team mate. They are full in. Playing on the day or not. This is going to be a slaughter. Before the teams was named, I had the Boks by a winning margin of 12-15 points, but after it was named, I changed it to 20+.

The English is going to give the Boks the ball and the Boks is going to run them ragged. This team wasn't chosen to play the same boring strategy of the WC semi.

10, conservative. But I think it will be somewhere between.

27 points?

Personally I don't care if people love or hate my beloved Boks. They will still talk about them even if they are spewing nonsense. A constant talking point which is good for the game because non rugby fans eventually wants to know what it's all about and also get involved in the sport. We want to grow the sport right?