England coach Martin Johnson says his side know exactly how big the challenge ahead of them is as they prepare to take on world champions South Africa at Twickenham tomorrow.
It is the first time the two sides have met since the Springboks triumphed in the World Cup final and Johnson believes they are worthy champions.
“They’re physically in fantastic shape, they’ve got great athletes and they’ll be a real handful. People have said they haven’t being playing that well, but they’ve won and that’s what you try to do when you’re away from home at the end of a long season.
They’re a very experienced team – they’re world champions – and a lot of their guys are maybe at the peak of their careers.
It’s England-South Africa, it’s a big, big game. A lot of our guys have never played South Africa and these are new steps for them, but they are excited about it.”