
TOKYO – Eddie Jones says England are bracing themselves for a massive physical assault from South Africa in Saturday's World Cup final but added that he expected the odd twist too from the Springboks after they won a turgid semi-final against Wales on Sunday.
Jones was in Yokohama Stadium to watch South Africa reach their first final, since he helped them triumph in 2007, and said he saw pretty much what he expected in a "tough and exacting semi-final".
"They are a massively aggressive physical forward pack, they probably played their stronger team in the second half as opposed to the first," Jones told journalists on Monday. "They are going to be a difficult side to beat but we know a couple of areas that we think we can them expose in."
As for whether South Africa would stick with their kick and chase policy, Jones was wary - but only a little. "Rassie (Erasmus) is a cunning coach so we're prepared for the unexpected," he said.
"They can play in different ways. You saw Faf de Klerk do 15-20 box kicks in the game. We know they can play differently but we also know that they are going to come through the front door. There are not many Springbok teams that don't come through the front door. So we've got to be ready at the front door and have enough cover at the back door too."