Jones: England can exploit hostile South Africa

England must harness the Springboks’ ingrained “dislike” of them to fuel a maiden series victory in South Africa, according to Eddie Jones.

Three straight losses to round out a disappointing Six Nations campaign has Jones’ squad on a low ahead of a difficult three-Test tour.

They last won a match in South Africa in 2000 and were disappointing in a 63-45 defeat to the Barbarians at Twickenham on Sunday.

But head coach Jones, a former Springboks assistant who guided Japan to a stunning upset of the traditional powerhouse at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, believes his inside knowledge can make the difference.

“I probably understand the South African rugby psyche as well as anyone having had experiences there,” he said. “And I know what they are going to be like when they play England.

“There are certain cultural issues between the two countries that provide great motivation for the South Africans.

“You have to be able to exploit that and use it in a positive way.

“How can you use their dislike of the English to create an opportunity for yourself because you know [in the first Test] at Ellis Park they will be unbelievably passionate and aggressive for the first 20 minutes.

“That creates opportunities for us. We have to be good enough to understand those opportunities and execute them.”

Following the first Test on June 9, the teams meet in Bloemfontein on June 16 and Cape Town seven days later.

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