For Saturday’s Test against England at Twickenham.
– The total Test caps for the Springbok starting lineup is 415. There are 122 in the backline and 293 among the forwards, with a further 120 on the bench.
– The average caps per player in the backline is 17, the forwards 37 and those on the bench 15. The average age of the starting XV is 26 years.
– Eben Etzebeth is the most experienced player in the squad and the most capped player in the team against England with six appearances against them.
– Malcolm Marx and Damian Willemse are the only two players who have never played in a Test against England.
– Handré Pollard needs seven points to reach 300 career points for South Africa.
– South Africa’s overall record against England is: P: 41; W: 25; L: 14; D: 2; PF: 876; PA: 705; TF: 82; TA: 54; Average score: 21-17. Win%: 61%.
– South Africa’s biggest win against England (48 points) was in 2007 in Bloemfontein when they ran in seven tries to register a 58-10 win.
– The Springboks’ biggest loss to England was in 2002 at Twickenham when the home team ran out winners 53-3. On that occasion, Jannes Labuschagne was red-carded in the 23rd minute for a late tackle on Jonny Wilkinson.
– The first Test at Twickenham took place on 15 January 1910 when England hosted Wales before a crowd of 18,000. At the time the seating capacity was 20,000.
– Today, Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union stadium in the world, with a seating capacity of 82,000.
– The first Springbok Test against England on this ground was on 4 January 1913. The Boks won 9-3 in front of 29,000 spectators.
– South Africa have played in 20 Tests against England at Twickenham. The record is: P: 20; W: 11; L: 9; PF: 335; PA: 361; TF: 32; TA: 33; Average score: 17-18; Win%: 55%.
– The top Springbok scorers against England at Twickenham are Pat Lambie (36 points), Chester Williams, Willem Alberts and Bryan Habana (two tries each), Lambie (eight penalty goals) and André Pretorius (four drop goals).
– The match records are held by André Pretorius (20 points and four drop goals), Chester Williams (two tries), and Braam van Straaten (four penalty goals).
PREVIEW: England vs Springboks
– The referee is Australian Angus Gardner. He has refereed in 17 Tests, five of which involving South Africa, with the Boks winning two.
– The two assistant referees are Jérôme Garcès (France) and Ben Whitehouse (Wales), while Irishman Olly Hodges is the TMO.
Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix
