Tara Stout reports from the South Africa camp

On the face of it, South Africa's showdown with England is just another one-off Test of the kind that now litters the professional game's calendar - a routine fixture pitting the best in the southern hemisphere against Europe's finest.

But Saturday's clash is more than your average international - because history beckons for South Africa at Twickenham.

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If the hot favourites duly win the encounter, they will be able to call themselves "the greatest Test team the world has ever seen".

Only England now stand in the way of the Springboks setting a new world record of 18 consecutive Test victories.

With last week's triumph over Ireland they equalled the feat of 17 straight wins set by New Zealand 29 years ago, and now they are looking to go one better.

'England need to break the mould'

But can Clive Woodward's England team pull off one of their greatest triumphs in their own backyard?

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One man who should know is Ian McGeechan, the last coach to lead a team to victory over South Africa, when he masterminded the British Lions' historic series success over the Springboks in 1997.

And he believes England can stop the tide of history - but only if their leading player's produce high-class individual displays.

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"Often in games like this it's the little things that count, a little piece of brilliance," the Northampton coach told Radio 5 Live. "You need something which is unexpected and breaks the mould and the pattern of the game.

"After that you've got to have the confidence to take the opportunity."

But he believes South Africa are on such a roll at the moment that they may prove unstoppable.

"A side going well produces its own momentum. They never stop playing for each other and ultimately against Wales and Scotland they scored crucial tries at vital times.

"When it looked as though they were under real pressure they come up with a score. That's what good sides do."

Joost the ticket at Twickers

The match is a double landmark for one of South Africa's most influential players - buccaneering scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, who will win his 50th cap.

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But Van der Westhuizen, who is already his country's record try-scorer with 29, insists his team do not feel victory will be a formality.

"What greater motivation could England have than to beat the world champions in front of a full house at Twickenham, therefore ending our winning run and our Grand Slam hopes?" he said.

"Have no doubt, we are expecting one heck of a game, especially after England ran Australia so close last Saturday."

And van der Westhuizen is refusing to get carried away by the whole issue of the record, which he believes means little compared to the Springboks' 1995 World Cup success.

"The World Cup stands alone," he said. "It is the ultimate in our sport, whereas the record we could break on Saturday is something that has just come along - it's a bonus."

Teams for Twickenham:

England: N Beal (Northampton), T Underwood (Newcastle), P de Glanville (Bath), J Guscott (Bath), D Luger (Harlequins), M Catt (Bath), M Dawson (Northampton), J Leonard (Harlequins), R Cockerill, D Garforth, M Johnson (all Leicester), T Rodber (Northampton), L Dallaglio (Wasps capt), R Hill (Saracens), N Back (Leicester).