South Africa v England: Geoff Parling confident Stuart Lancaster's men can beat Springboks at their own game There have been question marks raised, too, as to whether England are made of stern enough stuff up-front. "Without a doubt we've got the characters to cope," said Parling. There's always talk of a Springboks pack, well, let's remember, we're England, this is an England pack and that's a proud thing to say. Let's got and make a statement. We want to be direct, to meet fire with fire. We see it as there being no better opportunity than to come here to try to grow this team and win a test series. We know we've got to front-up as a pack. Parling, 28, has cemented his place in the England second-row after impressing from the bench during the Six Nations championship. He is regarded as a lineout expert, Mouritz Botha of Saracens providing the grunt alongside while Parling calls the shots. The lineout is an area of vulnerability for South Africa following the retirements of Victor Matfield and the move to France of Bakkies Botha. The Springboks are considering starting with an uncapped combo at lock in Juandre Kruger and Eben Etzebeth. No wonder Parling and his mates are licking lips. South African sides have always relied on a heavy-duty approach, grinding down the opposition, driving mauls in particular to gain yardage or create the position from where they can launch runners down England's No 10 channel. It also gives them potential for penalties with the booming boot of Springboks fly-half, Morne Steyn, the man who broke the Lions" hearts three years ago with a 60metre last-minute winner to clinch the series, a constant threat. "The maul has been one of their main weapons, either to get them momentum or to allow them to be direct in their play," said Parling. Ideally, you've got to win their ball at the lineout or get stuck into them. If you sit back and let the Springboks get into their rolling maul game, it can be very difficult to stop. The lineout is an important platform for them. We've got a pretty good idea of what's coming our way. Du Plessis will pack down alongside his older brother, Jannie and Tendai 'The Beast," Mtawarira. The younger Du Plessis has been forced to bide his time down the years with World Cup-winning Springbok, captain, John Smit, playing in the same position. The all-Sharks front-row are likely to test England in the scrummage. Du Plessis" opposite number, Dylan Hartley, has just returned from an eight week ban for biting Ireland's Stephen Ferris. Might du Plessis be able to take advantage of an opponent now on best behaviour? "I'm just a farmer's boy, I read Farmer's Weekly and I don't really read into other people's behaviour," he said, relishing the very prospect of the confrontation. South Africa name their side on Wednesday, England the following day. The scene is being set.