If the Springboks win, the South African skipper is poised to become international rugby union's most successful captain of all time, guaranteeing himself sporting immortality in the process.

Although his predecessor Francois Pienaar led the Springboks to their unforgettable 1995 World Cup final triumph, Teichmann could achieve a feat of similarly breathtaking proportions.

Victory over England will make it 18 Test match wins from 18 starts, beating New Zealand's 29-year-old record and Natal number eight Teichmann has been at the helm since the run began in Pretoria 15 months ago.

For a player whose mantra has long been, "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing", it would undoubtedly be a fitting achievement.

But Teichmann expects no favours from an England side determined to end what their captain Lawrence Dallaglio has termed "a disappointing year" by claiming an overdue southern hemisphere scalp.

"Throughout this tour, there has been so much talk about breaking New Zealand's record," Teichmann said.

"And one of the challenges for us on Saturday is to try and treat it as just another game, although I admit that's going to be tough.

"If we don't try and take the pressure off ourselves, then we will be too nervous to perform.