After failing to reach the pool stages of the 2015 Rugby World Cup it had been hosting, England have staged a dramatic resurgence and our now only second in the world rankings to the all-conquering All Blacks.
Under Eddie Jones, who led Japan to a famous victory over the Springboks at the World Cup last year, England have moved clear of Australia and South Africa in the world rankings, while also dominating against their Northern Hemisphere rivals.
However, and while England have been firm favourites on a number of occasions in the past to defeat what appeared to be an out-of-form South African team, they have now spent the past ten years being undone by the Springboks.
The venue to plot the demise of the South Africans in 2016 was the Browns Sport Leisure Club in Vilamoura, which has in recent years grown in popularity among major sports teams with the facility making a series of major investments and repeatedly raising its already high standards.
Last year, the Argentina rugby team, which spent an extended period at Browns in preparation for the World Cup, were extremely complimentary of the venue.
Speaking to The Portugal News at the time, Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade correctly predicted his squad of 31 players would do well at the Rugby World Cup and said they were in the best shape possible after a stress-free week in the Algarve.
“We have been able to focus on the enormous task that lies ahead without influences from the outside, and allowed this young team to bond with the more experienced players”, he explained.
Shortly afterwards, the Argentines flew to England and three weeks later were in the semi-finals of the third most watched tournament in the world.
Since then, Browns has now built two separate full-sized pitches, both of which were used extensively last week by the England squad as players sought to prepare themselves for the upcoming matches which will also include clashes against Australia and Argentina.
A short video of English rugby players being put through their paces is available on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/WQLmJPJ1GgA