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15 stats and facts: Springboks v England

Cape Town - Fifteen stats and facts ahead of Saturday's third Springboks v England Test in Cape Town.

- The total number of Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 348. There are 78 caps in the backline with 270 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 126 caps

- The average caps per player in the backline is 11, the forwards 34 while the players on the bench average 16. The average age of the starting XV is 26

- The first Test match at this historic venue took place 127 years ago, when Bill Maclagan’s British Isles team played their last Test match of their 1891 tour to South Africa

- To date, the Springboks have played in 53 Test matches at Newlands. Their record is as follows: P: 53; W: 35; L: 16; D: 2; PF: 1 038; PA: 662; TF: 134; TA: 70; Average score: 20-12; Win %: 66%

- Saturday’s encounter will be the third between the countries in Cape Town. England’s first Test against the Boks in the Mother City was on June 11, 1994, the last match of their eight-game tour to South Africa

- On July 4, 1998, England played a solitary Test at Newlands, after playing three Tests against Australia (1) and New Zealand (2) the previous four weeks, the first tour for England under Clive Woodward. The Springboks kept England scoreless with an 18-0 victory

- With England failing to score a try in their previous two Tests at Newlands, the Springbok record against England at this venue is: P: 2; W: 2; PF: 45; PA: 9; TF: 4; TA: 0

- England’s best performance against South Africa was in 2002 at Twickenham, when they thumped the Springboks 53-3, and to date that it is still the second biggest defeat in Springbok history

- South Africa’s biggest win against England was achieved at Bloemfontein in 2007 with a winning margin of 48 (58-10)

- Following last week’s Test in Bloemfontein, where the Boks clinched the series, South Africa remain unbeaten in home series against England, stretching this run to six series triumphs

- South Africa’s record against England in South Africa is: P: 15; W: 11; L: 3; D: 1; PF: 427; PA: 264; TF: 43; TA: 18; Average score: 28-18; Win %: 73%

- The overall record of the Springboks against England is P: 40; W: 25; L: 13; D: 2; PF: 866; PA: 680; TF: 81; TA: 53; Average score: 22-17; Win%: 63%

- The referee is Glen Jackson of New Zealand. He was born on October 23, 1975 in Feilding, New Zealand and made his Test debut as a referee on November 10, 2012 in a match between England and Fiji at Twickenham

- To date, Jackson has refereed 26 Tests of which six involved the Springboks. South Africa have won five and one was drawn

- The assistant referees are Romain Poite of France and Ben O’Keeffe of New Zealand and the TMO is Simon McDowell of Ireland

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