So far, 2018 has not been kind to English rugby. At the top level there was the disappointment of the Six Nations, finishing fifth for the first time since the competition expanded in 2000. At club level there have been debates raging about ring-fencing, finances and player welfare. Understandably after having such a strong run of games when Eddie Jones took over, recent events have caused some panic amongst fans and media alike. With Paul Gustard leaving the England coaching team to join Harlequins as the latest obstacle for the national side, there may be some perception that the wheels are coming off the chariot. This summer, England will have the perfect chance to prove the doubters wrong.

Some might say the summer tour has already started with England’s recent loss against the Barbarians. However I don’t think you can learn too much about a team’s form in a Barbarians match. The atmosphere and playing style are totally different to a normal test match; especially a test match against South Africa, and the 23 Eddie Jones selected was far from the same one we’ll see on tour. What really matters in a match like that are individual performances. It’s probably not a surprise to many that someone like George Ford had a good game, but other less known stand-outs like Piers Francis and Tom Curry will stick in a coach’s mind for the more important games later on.

On the other side of the world, Rassie Erasmus has chosen a squad with plenty of fresh faces with a healthy sprinkling of experience. 17 uncapped players and a new captain in Siya Kolisi may mean exciting times for South African rugby. A team long accused of being comprised old heroes past their prime, they’ll have a chance to show their true depth (which is incredibly deep considering the amount of young South African players are lured away by fat European contracts) against one of the best drilled sides in world rugby.

Saying that, I can’t see South Africa taking this series, even at home. That’s not to say that the Springboks would come out of a series loss as failures however, obviously it would be much better for them if they won it, but their new coach will need proper test match game time to learn about the kind of players and the kind of play style he’ll want to bring to Japan in 2019 and sometimes the best way to learn is by losing.

England will be all about winning however, they won’t want the fan and media frenzy that would undoubtedly come with a run of poor form a year out from the World Cup (Something that the Springboks must be quite used to over these last few seasons). On his day Eddie Jones has the coaching ability, the player depth and the training resources to take on any team in the world with England and if he can’t get at least a 2-1 series victory, there will be a lot of questions to answer.