How the Springboks plan to unleash ‘primal fury’ at Twickenham thanks to imaginary Rottweilers, a huge heap of meat and the Englishman who made the ‘freakish’ world champions even tougher, scarier and more agile

The Englishman in the Springbok camp has lifted the lid on the brutality, passion and toughness behind the world champions’ global supremacy – and the unifying influence of their carnivorous appetite.

Andy Edwards is South Africa’s ‘head of athletic performance’, having moved to Cape Town in 2020, after a decade of honing Saracens into a dominant, title-winning force in English and European rugby.

At Twickenham on Saturday, he will catch up with familiar faces in the home ranks such as England captain Jamie George, Maro Itoje and Ben Earl, but his objective is to help plot their latest downfall.

That task is aided by the astonishing range of formidable players at his disposal. The Boks are blessed with a complementary array of beasts and artists, giants and diminutive fliers.

Edwards has become an established and valued member of Rassie Erasmus’s multi-national management team. He marvels at the mental and physical attributes of the title-winning squad who have England in their sights after victory over Scotland in their tour opener, on the back of a recent Rugby Championship triumph.

Speaking to Mail Sport, Edwards offered a fascinating insight into what makes South Africa – newly restored to the top of the World Rugby rankings – such an unstoppable force.

‘They are class guys, class operators and they welcomed me with open arms, as a foreigner,’ he said. ‘As athletes, there is a perception of South Africans as huge blokes with huge physicality who try to over-power opponents, and that is a big part of it because they have some massive guys in the team.

‘But there are also a bunch of guys who are under 80 kilos (12st 8lb). Cheslin Kolbe is under 80, Faf de Klerk is under 80, Grant Williams too. Kurt-Lee Arendse is around the 80-kilo mark.

‘So, their physical stature is not all about grunt and huge men, like Eben Etzebeth and RG Snyman. It’s a really nice balance of athletes to work with. You’ve got this weird mix of people who all blend together and are capable of doing such freakish things in their different areas.’

Years of service at Saracens brought Edwards into contact with lots of freakishly strong and talented players, many of them English. What sets Erasmus’s squad apart is how they are prepared to bring a primal fury to their work. A storm is heading to Twickenham on Saturday.

‘What I’ve noticed with the Boks is that their intensity is through the roof and their willingness to be brutal with the physicality side of things,’ he said. ‘That is a real standout feature of how they play and that comes from the physical attributes that they have.

‘Within the Springboks, there is always a lot of talk about what they’re doing it for. It’s fascinating for me to experience. It was amazing to come back after the World Cup last year and see what it meant to the country.

‘Every Friday now, the entire country will be in green. They call it Bok Friday. It’s insane; their love for the Boks. You feel that when you’re in the squad.’

There were scenes of glorious mayhem when South Africa brought home the Webb Ellis Cup last November and took it on a whistle-stop national tour. Edwards surveyed the mass celebrations and it helped him realise the motivational force of mass public fervour.

‘That trophy tour lasted four days and I was probably in tears for two of them,’ he added. ‘You can’t explain what you are seeing. Going through the major cities was awesome because they were packed out with a whole mix of people. You could see the country coming together.

‘When we went into the townships, it was so powerful. You’d look over at people standing next to someone like Siya Kolisi or Lukhanyo Am or Bongi Mbonambi, you’d see little kids’ eyes catch their eyes and the kid would just into tears because they’d had that connection with one of the players.

‘When we were in Soweto, the big township near Jo’burg, we turned into the main road and we were told we had to try to go a mile. It took us three or four hours. There were just seas of people wanting to glimpse a bit of hope by seeing their heroes. That’s definitely been the most unique thing for me from this whole experience.’

During Chasing the Sun 2, the documentary which charts the Boks’ journey to a second consecutive World Cup success last year, Erasmus speaks at one stage about a method he uses to fire up his men.

‘We’ve got this thing,’ he says. ‘Say your mother stands behind you and a big Rottweiler you don’t know is charging at your mother, will you try and stop it? Yes, because your mother is standing behind or your daughter or whoever you love. Well, if you’re South Africa, will you stop that dog?’

The aim is to make the team-versus-team equation feel like a desperate personal mission. Edwards revealed the significance of that thinking, saying: ‘Some of the players have come through seriously tough backgrounds to get to where they are now. That turns into them wanting to do what is right for South Africa.

‘That personal side of it is massive. They all relate to that. When you get to know the fellas deeply and hear the stories of their upbringing, you start to understand. I can’t relate to it at all because I didn’t experience anything like what some of these guys did when they were younger, but you start to add it up and understand what makes them the players they are.

‘They have incredible athleticism, there are the stories they have and also there is how they make it personal, about their country. When you pile those elements together, you get something unique.’

Most leading international teams are able to call upon a collection of imposing physical specimens, but South Africa’s trump card is their hard edge.

When ferocity is required, they can deliver it. They have a no-nonsense culture – or, in the words of Edwards, a no-fluff culture.

‘The thing I notice about this squad is their toughness,’ he said. ‘It might be about their background, but there is no fluff, no messing around. They will say, “Tell me what to do, don’t give me any fluff, don’t bulls**t around, just tell me straight what’s going to happen, what’s going to make this team better and how can I contribute, then I will go at 100miles an hour”.

‘That toughness comes out in the way they train every single day and the way they play too. It also shows in the way they deal with things on tour. Again, there is a “no-fluff” mentality.

‘We want to provide everything the squad needs, but let’s not forget, South Africa is a third-world country. It’s a Tier One nation taking on rivals with much bigger budgets.

‘The Springboks can’t operate in the same way with as many staff, such as in the performance team, which is smaller than others. That’s just the way it is. Everyone understands that and just gets on with it.’

Unity is another key aspect for the Boks, who come together from a host of clubs and countries where their players are scattered, and re-forge tight bonds. One means of doing so is to light a fire and cook a heap of meat.

Asked about the eating habits which fuel the world champions, Edwards said: ‘There is obviously a huge, huge meat focus. The braai (wood-fired barbecue) is such a part of South African life and I’ve fully bought into it now. If I come back to England, I’m never going to cook on coals or gas again. It has to be on a proper fire.

‘We try to make sure we have a braai day every week, as a group, with loads of awesome steaks and lamb chops. The quality of the meat is just insane. And they are all experts in braais!

‘I am still trying to learn it, but they all know exactly what type of wood you need, how it’s going to coal and how it’s going to cook the meat.

‘The whole thing is a really nice social event. If you tell the guys we are going to have a braai night, it’s not, “Oh okay, let someone else do it”, they say, “No, we want to braai ourselves”. Whoever’s turn it is will get up there and get the fire going. The braai is a process; it’s not a quick barbecue, eat and go. They take their time and enjoy it.

‘It’s a unifying thing, like the Argentinians’ asado. It was fascinating in the Covid year. We spent two weeks in isolation together and it was cool because we had a braai night and the Argentinians came to that, then they had an asado night and we went to that. We were all in the hotel together.

‘It’s tight between them (who is best)! I love going to Argentina now because you know you’re going to get an awesome steak, but South African meat is also top, top level. I’ll be gutted when I have to go home and just pick up a Marks & Spencer steak!’

Given that his primary mission is to ensure South Africa’s players are in peak condition, Edwards does have to point out that they can have too much of a good thing.

‘They’re big guys, they need fuelling and they love their meat,’ he said. ‘But we can’t do braai all the time because we’re on the clock and we are fuelling for performance. They understand that they can’t just keep eating copious amounts of meat all the time! There’s a balance.’

Like a good steak, the Springboks’ can’t turn up at Twickenham under-cooked or over-done. Edwards is confident they will be just right.

‘This is the end of our international season, so we should be nicely connected and, by England, we should be in full flow again.’

Brutality and braais. Toughness and togetherness. They will take some stopping.