Sam Underhill: The Springboks have set an incredibly high standard

England travel to Ellis Park on July 4 for the opening match of the Nations Championship, with Underhill acknowledging the scale of the task awaiting Steve Borthwick's side against the back-to-back world champions.

"It will be a massive challenge and a massive opportunity as well," Underhill said. "You always want to be playing against the best and that's a testament to the Springboks. They have set an incredibly high bar as a team."

England began the Six Nations on a strong note, extending their winning run to 12 Tests with a convincing opening-round victory over Wales after entering the tournament on the back of 11 straight wins.

However, the campaign quickly unravelled as they suffered a historic defeat to Italy and their heaviest ever home loss to Ireland before losing narrowly to France in the final round.

The match against the Boks will be England's first visit to South Africa since 2018, when the Springboks won the opening two Tests in Johannesburg and Bloemfontein before England claimed a consolation victory in Cape Town under former coach Eddie Jones. That result remains England's only win in South Africa this century.

Despite their struggles in the Six Nations, England's players have rallied behind head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of the challenging trip to face the world champions.

"One hundred percent we back him," Underhill said. "You have to. That's part of the game. You're either all in, or you're not, you know.

"There are always external opinions, but ultimately the only people in the room are the coaches and the players."

Underhill acknowledged the players must take responsibility for improving before facing the Springboks in Johannesburg.

"Ultimately, the players are the guys that have to go out there and put a performance out there on the weekend," he said. "There are always going to be things you want to change or do differently.

"No one's ever played a perfect game before, but for us as players, you want to play and get better. You want clarity from the coaches. I think you get that."

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