England host South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday in the final game of the Autumn Nations Series; Eddie Jones’ men have come from behind to draw 25-25 against New Zealand after being 25-6 down.
Last Updated: 20/11/22 7:33pm
Maro Itoje is excited about the prospect of facing South Africa on Saturday
Maro Itoje believes England have incredible potential in their squad and is not looking forward to facing South Africa on Saturday at Twickenham Stadium.
Eddie Jones’ men enter the Test week having recovered from a 25-6 to 25-25 loss to the All Blacks thanks to three late Tests.
England will now complete their four-match Autumn Nations Series by hosting South Africa on Saturday. Forward Itoje wants them to be relentless in their pursuit of national champions.
“Playing South Africa at Twickenham – I’m really looking forward to it. I just want the game to be over as soon as possible because we gave up a lot against New Zealand,” Itoje said.
“Although the second half was more the way we wanted to play, this week is an opportunity to play the way we want to play for the full 80 minutes.
We have incredible potential in this team, we just have to unlock it,” added Itoje. “We spend a lot of time together and we are very close, so it will come.
“I’m proud that we pushed hard (against New Zealand) and we didn’t come away proud that we played great rugby at the end of the game, but we have to play like this for the rest of the game.
Autumn Internationals in England
| Sunday, November 6 | England 29-30 Argentina | 2.15 pm |
| Saturday, November 12 | England 52-13 Japan | 3.15 pm |
| Saturday, November 19 | England 25-25 New Zealand | 5.30 pm |
| Saturday, November 26 | England vs South Africa | 5.30 pm |
“You don’t want to be too happy with a draw, but it’s better than losing. Hopefully, it will put us in a good position in South Africa, which will be very difficult,” said Itoje.
“South Africa haven’t changed the way they play since their first game in international rugby! Strong game, strong kicking game, strong defence.”
Itoje knows what to expect from the Springboks on Saturday afternoon
England head coach Jones has spoken of the need to have options this weekend, in anticipation of a flying attack from the Springboks. Jones has pointed to Itoje in place of Sam Simmonds at blindside flanker with Dave Ribbans starting at lock.
“We probably need three jumpers against South Africa. It will be a very high-profile game to watch,” Jones said.
“We were a bit disappointed against New Zealand because of the strength of our defence. Ardie Savea did well.
“Tom Curry and Sam Simmonds defensively were good and it was the best trial game I’ve seen Billy Vunipola play since 2019.”
Jones: It’s always up to the players
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England head coach Eddie Jones praised his team’s bravery after their draw against New Zealand
At the end of the match against New Zealand, England were criticized by some for kicking the ball out with a red clock, Jones said he was against his players’ decision.
“It’s always up to the players. I trust their decisions,” he added. “I’m not on the field, I don’t have access to them. So I just rely on their decisions.
“I thought in the second half we played really well. We’re disappointed that we didn’t win the game, but the game is the same, and with the energy they had in the first half, we could have fallen.
“You’ve seen better teams than us lose to the All Blacks and lose by 40 or 50.
“If you don’t stay in the fight, you can get shaken up. We kept fighting, and I think the leadership team was great. Owen (Farrell) on his 100th cap did a great job, and (Ellis) Genge. and (Jack) Nowell.
Speaking about the late decision, captain Owen Farrell added: “We just wanted to see where we left off. We didn’t want to make a good decision, and I think that’s what happened.”
