England vs. South Africa: Key Battles to Watch at Twickenham

England and South Africa go into the second week of autumn internationals seeking to avenge defeats in Week 1.

England endured a frustrating afternoon against the All Blacks, failing to capitalise on early pressure in the first half and a man advantage in the second, while the Boks were comprehensively beaten in Dublin despite a stronger scrummage and overall forward performance.

A second defeat to a southern hemisphere superpower in as many weeks will throw England’s hopes for 2015 World Cup glory into serious doubt.

For South Africa, losing to England for the first time in eight years will pour cold water on the feel-good factor that carried them north after vanquishing New Zealand at the end of the Rugby Championship. Heyneke Meyer has rung the changes in a bid to stop that happening, per the BBC.

There is an awful lot at stake at Twickenham this Saturday.

Here are the key battles.

The Springbok pack was dominant over its Irish opponents at scrum time last week, but it counted for nothing in the end.

The Boks know they are in for a ferocious battle in this department this weekend.

England and New Zealand shared parity until late in the game when the Red Rose replacements turned the screw for a penalty try.

This week, if the wet weather continues, this will become an area of even greater importance.

It is down to England’s Joe Marler to dull the appetite for destruction possessed by Jannie du Plessis, whilst ensuring his industry in the loose remains as much a part of his game as usual.

Scrum dominance could win a low-scoring match.

Both No. 9s for England and South Africa had below-par afternoons last week.

At Twickenham, Danny Care struggled for accuracy when it came to kicking under pressure from a hungry All Blacks back row, while Francois Hougaard appeared to have left his hands on the plane.

Hougaard has paid for his performance in the Irish capital, losing his place to Cobus Reinach, but Care is likely to be retained.

Ireland’s Conor Murray exploited South Africa’s positional play last week with a wonderful kick that bounced up perfectly for Tommy Bowe to score.

Care will be aware that the onus is on him to find that same pocket of space for the likes of Jonny May and whoever replaces Semesa Rokoduguni on the right wing to chase.

The No. 9 who has the best day with the boot could have a major say in which team finds itself on the front foot.

The conversation about England’s No. 7 position was given fresh impetus following that defeat to New Zealand.

Chris Robshaw did not have a bad game, but he was shown to be what he is, a man playing out of position, by the incomparable Richie McCaw. He faces another specialist openside this week in the shape of Marcel Coetzee.

Turnovers will once again be crucial in the sway of the game’s momentum, and Robshaw will need to bring an improved ground game to compete with the skills of Coetzee in this area.

Mike Brown was the darling of the Twickenham crowd last season, but his form has not touched the heights of that campaign so far.

His opposite number has just been named on the shortlist for the 2014 IRB Player of the Year.

Last week, Brown did some things well but was also beaten to the high ball on more than one occasion by Ben Smith, no physical bison in the size stakes.

Willie Le Roux also lacks the musculature of some international full–backs, but his lightning–fast feet more than make up for that.

In a game certain to feature plenty of kicking, whoever deals with the aerial stuff best will play a significant role in his side’s fortunes.

We didn’t see much fancy footwork from Kyle Eastmond last week, but the Bath man played his part in an England side that didn’t create too much.

In fact, it was the centre who laid a try on a plate for Mike Brown, only for the full–back to spill the ball.

Jean de Villiers brings so much more experience to the role at No. 12, and Eastmond will, first and foremost, need to be on his defensive game to stop the charges of the Boks captain.

If he has lost anything with the passage of time, De Villiers has less pace than he used to possess, and when he has the ball, Eastmond must look to exploit this.