Bester slams tiring Boks as Johnson urges intensity

Andre Bester, the Rotherham Titans head coach, worked closely with his native South Africa ahead of the British Lions tour in 2009 but has been alarmed at their decline since then.

The Springboks lost five of six Tri-Nations games in the summer and were humbled by Scotland at Murrayfield last Saturday.

And although Johnson will be expecting nothing other than a tough test as his rapidly-improving unit look to cap an inspiring autumn with a third victory in four, Bester believes South Africa present the perfect opportunity for another big scalp.

"They're shattered," he said. "I've only seen them against Ireland and they were poor.

"The worst thing for any team is an end-of-season tour and that is exactly what is happening with South Africa at the moment. For the Boks, everything is geared around Tri-Nations rugby and the Currie Cup (which finished in October).

"The players give everything to that, emotionally, physically and mentally, and after that they are drained.

"Australia and New Zealand don't have an inter-provincial competition as fierce as the Currie Cup and South African players are always on a downer after the Currie Cup.

"England's footballers looked tired at the World Cup in the summer after a long Premier League season. It's exactly the same scenario here.

"This is not a good South Africa side – it is a good time to play them."

Bester's work with the Springboks prior to last year's Lions tour focussed on the breakdown. After leaving Rotherham in 2007, he spent time developing safer techniques for the high-impact area by producing training pads to make working practices less strenuous on the body – and more effective on the field.

"It was all about speeding up the breakdown, slowing it down and how to work in the right areas," explained Bester, whose equipment, known as Dominant Contact, was manufactured by Yorkshire company Centurion and has also been used to good effect by New Zealand and the Canterbury Crusaders.

"It's a very neglected area. I've been involved in rugby a long time and young boys taught nowadays have no idea what the safe practices are.

"Eighty per cent of the game is in contact and there was no equipment to simulate that.

"And I think the breakdown will be critical at Twickenham today. I would have liked to have seen (Leeds's former Rotherham flanker) Hendre Fourie involved from the start – the Springboks would have found it tough against his power.

"Their back row is not in the same class as Fourie, and he's only on the bench.

"It's also a poor scrummage pack from South Africa, and their back three is all over the place.

"Unfortunately a lot of those techniques I worked with them on have gone out of the window now. Coaches come in and change certain things.

"A lot of new players have come through into the side with the amount of injuries they've suffered."

Despite Bester's dismissal of his native country's chances, Johnson and the England camp are taking nothing for granted, particularly as they have lost their last six matches against South Africa, including the 2007 World Cup final in Paris and a 42-6 record home defeat 13 months later.

"We are desperate to play as well as we can," said Johnson, who after a sticky two years at the helm, began to turn the tide with victory over Australia in Sydney in June. "We want the England team to be a successful team that people can be proud of and we are on the right track.

"We have an exciting team and I am not playing that down. This team is on an upwards curve and everything goes into today.

"But we are nowhere near where we can be. The whole thing has only come together this calendar year. We are still building. We have done nothing yet."

After making four changes for the win against Samoa, Johnson has reverted to his strongest side to face South Africa – the same starting XV that beat Australia a fortnight ago.

"South Africa have been successful because they have been pretty settled and a very good team and we haven't, for a while," said Johnson, who has recalled captain Lewis Moody – in place of Fourie – Otley-born centre Mike Tindall, and forwards Tom Croft and Dan Cole.

"We have got to turn that around and the results will follow. Teams have to take those steps, like beating Australia. We can talk about it but the players have to go and do it and really believe it."

"You want those days we have had at Twickenham in the last couple of weeks. The players recognise that. It is a hell of a thing to be involved with."

Returning captain Moody added: "There is a similar feel to the week of the Australia game. There is the angst in the air, a nervous energy that I like to see in the squad."

seeking inspiration: Martin Johnson wants more of the same from his improving side in the final Autumn International against South Africa today.picture: clive gee/pa.