'That will certainly add to our motivation this week': Rassie Erasmus

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus believes landmark occasions for Cheslin Kolbe and Damian Willemse will provide an extra incentive when his side open their Nations Championship campaign against England in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Kolbe and Willemse are both set to earn their 50th Test caps at Ellis Park after being named in an experienced starting XV to face Steve Borthwick’s side.

While Erasmus admitted the double milestone adds another layer of motivation, he stressed that sentiment alone will count for little in what he expects to a “hard grind of a match”.

The Boks warmed up with a resounding 80-31 victory over the Barbarians, but Erasmus believes England, who will be without rested captain Maro Itoje, will be a “different prospect altogether”.

Despite a tricky 2026 thus far, where they have only registered one win and succumbed to their poorest ever Guinness Six Nations finish, Erasmus described the sixth-ranked team in the world as a “quality outfit”.

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“They have both been stalwarts for us over the years, and as a team we would like to make it a memorable day for them,” Erasmus said when addressing the milestone for his wing and full-back.

“It’s not every day you have two players playing their 50th Test, so that will certainly add to our motivation this week.

“That said, England will come to Johannesburg as determined as ever, so it’s going to be a hard grind of a match, which will require us to be accurate in every facet of the game, and convert the opportunities we create into points, but they will have the same mindset, so we need to hit the ground running if we want to do well.”

On the Boks’ opponent, he said: “England are a quality outfit, and we are expecting them to give everything they have in this match, so it was important to select a squad with experience combined with a few younger players, who have proved that they have what it takes to perform at this level.

“The players have worked very hard at training, and they know what it takes to perform against a side of this calibre with a good coaching team, so we hope they can transfer that effort onto the field on Saturday.

“It was great to have a run against the Barbarians and Zimbabwe last week because it afforded some of our players some valuable game time, but this weekend will be a different prospect altogether.

“England are a settled team, they come off a Six Nations campaign earlier in the season, and, similarly to us, they will also want to have a good start to this exciting new competition, so we are expecting it to be a bruising encounter.”