Eddie Jones’s side face difficult task turning series around in second Test at high altitude in Bloemfontein
Bouncing back to win a Test series from 1-0 down in the southern hemisphere is not a frequent occurrence. The British & Irish Lions came close to engineering a miraculous comeback in New Zealand last year but, otherwise, visiting sides who are unsuccessful initially rarely recover. Not since the 1997 Lions tour have South Africa been beaten in a best-of-three series on home soil.
Such historical context is worth keeping in mind as England seek to improve on their 42-39 first Test defeat at Ellis Park last week. Once again they will be playing at altitude; once again they have prepared at sea level rather than on the Highveld. At 1,400m up, Bloemfontein is 350m below Johannesburg but it remains an alien environment for most visiting European teams.
Written by Robert Kitson in Bloemfontein
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jun/15/england-south-africa-eddie-jones-second-test-bloemfontein under the title “History not on England’s side as they look to turn tables on South Africa | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
