The Rassie Erasmus verdict on England 159 days ahead of Nations Championship

The opening match of the historical Nations Championship tournament is shaping up to an epic showdown between two of the game’s fiercest rivals.

The Nations Championship gets underway in the first week of July.

South Africa host England at Ellis Park on July 4 in the first round.

It will only be their second meeting since the Springboks’ come-from-behind one-point (16-15) win over England at Stade de France, Paris, at the 2023 World Cup.

It kicks off the much-anticipated cross-hemisphere tournament.

The tournament features two groups of teams competing in a Northern versus Southern Hemisphere format across six rounds, with three fixtures in July and again in November, before culminating in a first-of-its-kind Finals weekend to decide the dominant nation and balance of power between the hemispheres.

With games against Scotland and Wales to come, before the four-Test Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand, and the year-end encounters with Italy, France and Ireland, the season-opener in Johannesburg (there is a ‘warm-up’ match before this) is shaping as a crucial scene-setter for the Boks.

“England are hitting their straps now,” Erasmus said at Springbok headquarters in the Plattekloof suburb of Cape Town.

Steve Borthwick’s team is on an 11-Test winning streak, with their only loss in 2025 the 22-27 squeaker against Ireland in the Six Nations opener in February.

Erasmus, who was a member of the Springbok team that lost to England to end a 17-match winning streak in 1998, was full of praise for the No.3-ranked team.

“You can see there is something special happening in the England team,” the Bok coach said, adding: “They have the Six Nations before we meet them.

“Whether they win the Six Nations or lose a few matches, for us it will be a massive game against England.

“South Africa against England in the first match of the Nations Championship is massive, a very important game.”

The Boks are planning a ‘warm-up’ match against an unnamed team ahead of the start of the Nations Championship.

Erasmus will analyse England very closely during their Six Nations campaign, while he will play his cards close to his chest ahead of the first Test of the year.

The Nations Championship will see the Six Nations teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales represent the Northern Hemisphere.

They will face a Southern Hemisphere group made up of the SANZAAR nations Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, joined by two invitational teams in Japan and Fiji.

Tournament organisers describe it as a ‘groundbreaking competitive format’ that puts the event on a global stage.

After the six rounds of regular-season matches, a finals series will be contested over three days, with each team matched against its equivalently ranked team in the other pool to decide placements.

All finals in 2026 are to be held at Twickenham Stadium in London.