South Africa vs England: Sir Kevin Seinfeld says tourists can adapt to altitude

England will be ideally prepared for the unique challenge of playing at altitude against world champions South Africa on Saturday, coach Sir Kevin Sinfield has said.

Johannesburg’s iconic Ellis Park, hosting England’s opening Nations Championship match against the Springboks, is almost 6,000 feet above sea level and a venue where the visitors have not won since 1972.

But according to Sinfield, having flown to South Africa 10 days before the game, the players will have the ideal amount of time to acclimatise to the conditions.

“The timescale we allowed here was thought to be the optimal time for the average person to adapt and adjust to altitude,” he said. Rugby Union Weekly Podcast.

“It’s another challenge for the boys. Our performance team and medical team have tried to prepare us as best as possible for the deadline and that’s part of the challenge of Test rugby in South Africa.”

Lower air pressure at higher altitudes means fewer oxygen molecules enter the bloodstream.

But after five days on South African soil, Seinfeld says he’s already seen his body adapt to the environment.

“As soon as we arrived, my blood oxygen level dropped, enough for the alarm on my watch and phone to go off,” he explained.

“But it’s very close to where I was.”

England have a daunting schedule this summer. After facing the Bucks this weekend, they fly home to play Fiji in Liverpool before crossing the equator again to clash with Argentina in Santiago del Estero.

But for Seinfeld the focus is solely on the task at hand this weekend, and he says the whole squad is desperate to get involved against the Bucks.

“I’ll be very disappointed if any of our 36 guys don’t like it this weekend,” he added.

“Is it any bigger? Is it bigger than this?

“Our job as coaches is to make sure we reach our potential. We’ve got a great squad, a great group of players.

“We’re in a really challenging country in terms of the rugby environment and their quality and depth. What a big challenge for us.”