Autumn Nations Series: England v South Africa
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 16 November Kick-off: 17:40 GMT
Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
Captain Jamie George says England have “evolved” from the side beaten by South Africa in the World Cup semi-finals last year.
England will be looking to avenge their defeat in Paris when they host the double world champions in the Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick’s side have lost their past four Tests from winning positions, but hooker George says the team is in a better place since their last meeting with the Springboks.
“We are a different team and we have evolved a huge amount in the last 12 months,” George told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“Defensively and in our kicking game we have been strong, but our attack has evolved in how we are taking teams on and scoring points.
“It is an amalgamation of a few things, whether that is putting the ball in the air or attacking an opposition or getting results off our defence, we are a much better and well-rounded team.”
England head coach Borthwick has made four changes from the side beaten by Australia in their last outing, including the reintroduction of full-back Freddie Steward and scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet.
George says both players are “frothing” at the prospect of facing South Africa.
“They are ready to take their opportunity because of all the work they have put in off the field,” he added.
“They have trained brilliantly and the nice thing is they are not coming in with one or two caps. They have played at international level and they are frothing at the bit to get involved.
“Whenever that ball goes in the air, the expectation is to catch the ball. Freddie [Steward] retrieves more ball for us than anyone and he is excellent in that area.
“The South African gameplan lends itself to putting the ball in the air a bit more, but there is no better man to have back there.”
England have not won at home since March when they beat Ireland in the Six Nations and George says the hosts need a result to match their performances.
“We always feel pressure to win,” said the 34-year-old.
“We know that the fans want a win and we want to bring that for them. They have been brilliant and we have spoken a lot about this connection with the fans, but I’m aware the performance only goes so far and we need to bring the result.
“I want the Allianz to believe we can win because we believe we can win.”