England v South Africa: Pressure on England is a privilege, says Richard Wigglesworth
Senior coach Richard Wigglesworth says the pressure to achieve results for England is part of the privilege of representing the national team.
England have lost their past four games, including narrow wins over New Zealand and Australia in their first two Autumn Nations Series matches.
They face reigning double world champions South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday and Wigglesworth said it was the coach’s job to “stay away” from the noise outside.
“It’s a real privilege to be part of the England team because so many people care and it makes you feel so strongly about it,” he told BBC Sport.
“Our job is to take a step back and look at what’s going right, what’s going wrong, and what we can fix.
“We need to understand the nature of the game, make decisions and get better every week.
“Our job is to make sure players understand as much as possible that they will not be affected.
“We know that the attention a team gets depends on the results, and rightly so.”
England last met South Africa in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals, with the Springboks coming back from 15-6 down to win a tight encounter 16-15.
Wigglesworth said the Boks were a different team compared to that day and there had been “some changes” in terms of game plan.
However, he said the visitors will still rely on their traditional strengths, especially a forward-heavy bench that will be unleashed in the second half.
“They have a team and a plan that has been in place for a while and when you are successful you tend to stick with it,” he added.
“I really enjoy watching what they do and how they do it, and it’s our job to meet that and do that.”
But Wigglesworth said the England coach had not been in touch with former defense coach Felix Jones.
Jones, who was part of the South Africa squad at the past two World Cups, quit the England squad in August but is completing his notice period by providing remote analysis, according to the RFU.
“I believe he is working with us behind the scenes, but we have not yet contacted him personally,” Wigglesworth said.
