That horrible 36-0 defeat that England suffered against South Africa five weeks ago was not their first humiliation at the hands of the Springboks this year. Back in late May, a woefully under-strength team was sent to South Africa, denied the services of players from Leicester, London Wasps and Bath, all of whom were involved in European finals. The predictably humbling results were a 58-10 loss in Bloemfontein and a slightly more respectable 55-22 defeat in Pretoria.

Yet amid the wreckage of that ill-conceived tour, a few lessons were learned that could prove instructive as England attempt to turn the tide of recent results in the World Cup final tomorrow. Dan Scarbrough, the Saracens wing, played opposite Bryan Habana in the second of those matches and he believes that, for all the Springbok wing’s eye-catching acceleration, England could tame him if they play a tactically sound game.

“He’s obviously a dangerous runner, but if England can get in his face, it could be a different matter,” Scarbrough said. “Is his all-round game as good as all that? I’m not sure anyone really knows. I tackled him once early in the game in Pretoria and then he got sin-binned after 20 minutes. He’s good if you make mistakes and he scored one try against us in that game with an 80-yard sprint from an interception, but if he’s put under pressure whenever he gets the ball, he’ll have to work that bit harder.”

Given the imbalance between the sides, England’s performance in that Pretoria game was highly competitive for the first hour. With only five players in the starting XV who will begin the World Cup final, England actually led 19-17 at half-time, with Scarbrough scoring an interception try of his own, the last time an England player crossed South Africa’s try line. But in the second half, South Africa inevitably pulled away to complete another comfortable victory.

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“They were a very good team, but we had such a makeshift side out there that it was difficult to tell how good they really were,” Scarbrough said. “Going into the World Cup, I thought they might be a bit one-dimensional, playing off the strength of their forwards. But they’ve begun to look a more rounded team as the tournament has gone on and they’re capable of playing in several different ways.”

One other memorable moment for Scarbrough came in Pretoria when he made a crunching tackle on Percy Montgomery, South Africa’s dangerous full back. Scarbrough’s perfectly timed challenge, his shoulder thudding into Montgomery’s chest, is a popular video clip on YouTube. Unfortunately, the tackler himself did not emerge unscathed.

“I threw everything I had at him and I caught him OK, but then I lost all feeling in my arm for a short while afterwards,” he said. “I was hoping I’d be able to get up before him, but I’m not sure whether I managed it.”

Scarbrough, who is currently injured, runs the rugby networking site rugbyreunited.com and will be in Paris tonight, dining with Andy Farrell, his Saracens team-mate who has missed out on selection for the final. He has managed to get hold of a ticket for the final, so being injured has its occasional benefits.

“I’m really looking forward to the game,” he said. “England have got a chance because a real bond has obviously been created in that squad, they’ve been through a hell of a lot together. Whatever happens, at least they stand a better chance than we did back in the summer. I hope I’m not still the last person to score for England against South Africa come tomorrow night.”