England coach Eddie Jones has said the side’s main task in the Autumn internationals will be to take down South Africa’s ‘bullies’ as he aims to build on his successful start in the role with a first win over the Springboks since 2006.
The Six Nations champions will go into the four home tests brimming with confidence on the back of a nine-match winning streak, including a 3-0 whitewash of the Wallabies in Australia, since Jones took over after a dismal 2015 World Cup campaign.
However, Jones is fully aware that England need to improve physically if they want to match the very best teams in the world and is keen to first bring an end to their poor recent record against South Africa.
“We haven’t beaten them since (2006) and you know what they are like, they’re bullies, so that is a task for our first 23-man squad,” Jones told BT Sport of the November 12 encounter at Twickenham.
“We have got 36 tests up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup so there is a purpose for every test.”
“We will certainly pick our strongest team for South Africa and take it from there.”
England, who also host Fiji, Argentina and Australia after the Springboks, are currently second in the world rankings behind an all-conquering New Zealand side.
“If we want to be the best side in the world we need to get a lot fitter than we are at the moment.
The great thing for us is that we haven’t even touched on it yet,” the 56-year-old Australian added.
“We have another 6 or 7% improvement at least, which is so exciting because over the next three years, we can build on that.”

South Africa skipper Strauss to quit at end of year
South Africa captain Adriaan Strauss has announced he will quit international rugby at the end of the 2016 season.
The Springbok hooker took over the captaincy of the side this year, but says he informed new coach Allister Coetzee of his plan to retire before being handed the role.
“The plan was for me to serve and lead a team in transition as well as I can and take things week by week, but back then I already told him that I was thinking of retiring at the end of the season,” Strauss said in a statement from the South African Rugby Union yesterday.
“I’ve always accepted the pressure and the challenge of playing for and captaining the Springboks.
I feel it’s the right time to let my team mates and our supporters know of the decision I made, with a greater plan in mind.”
Coetzee hinted that Strauss’s appointment as the Boks’ 57th Test captain was always a short-term move.
“I’ve known since day one that Adriaan was planning to retire at the end of 2016, but he is a vital component in our team and his role has been part of our succession planning in any case,” he said.
“He is a magnificent servant of the game in South Africa and doesn’t always get the credit he deserves.
At a time when most players of his generation decided to move abroad, Adriaan chose to remain here, ploughing back into the game.”
Strauss, who has 59 Test caps, led the Boks in a fortituous 2-1 home series win over an injury-depleted Ireland in June and the home victory and away loss to Argentina in The Rugby Championship last month.
The Boks’ next fixture is against Australia in Brisbane on September 10.