Springbok second row Bakkies Botha expects a tough test from each of the three sides the World Champions will play this month.
The Boks start their UK tour with a match against Wales this Saturday before taking on Scotland and England at Murrayfield and Twickenham on November 15 and 22 respectively.
Botha, who played a key role in South Africa’s 2007 World Cup triumph, knows he and his team-mates cannot afford to underestimate any of their opponents with three challenging weekends ahead.
"As always, every Test you play will be physical and demanding and we are certainly expecting fierce onslaughts,” said Botha, who has only recently returned to fitness following a knee injury that ruled him out of the closing rounds of the Tri Nations.
"Wales, England and Scotland all have very powerful forwards. You can just look at the European competitions like the Heineken Cup – you can see those teams are exceptional.
"Any team that faces the World Champions will go out to prove a point and win the game.
"We are expecting nothing less than fierce onslaughts against all three – especially in the scrums. They know where we come from and we know what their ability is to put down a marker – but we are ready to go give it a full go."
The first chance for South Africa to put down their own marker ahead of next summer’s Lions tour comes at the Millennium Stadium when Botha and co look to build on their brace of victories against Wales in June.
"Wales are going to be a tough Test, with the Ospreys doing so well in the [European] leagues. We know they have a good scrum and a great backline.
"At this stage we are just focussed on Wales, to get the wheels rolling. As I said, every Test is tough and we know all three will be tough.
"It will be good for us to get the ball rolling with a win in Cardiff – that is the most important thing for us as a squad now.”
