Head coach Eddie Jones recently described their Autumn programme as just "sparring", but he knows these match-ups are much more than that.
We are unsure where to put England currently. After an initial impressive two years under Jones, 2018 has been a nightmare and games against South Africa, New Zealand, Japan and Australia will give us much more of an indication as to the state of play.
After Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017, Jones would have been expecting just to be tinkering with his side now, and starting to build towards peaking for the World Cup. But six defeats this year and a huge injury list means it feels more like Jones is rebuilding at this vital time.
The forwards named to start on Saturday against South Africa highlights this. The back row has 10 caps between them, while props Kyle Sinckler and Alec Hepburn have 13 and two caps to their names respectively. Second row George Kruis is England's second most capped forward, with 26 - it tells a story.
What's expected of England
A minimum of two wins out for four, against Australia and Japan, must happen. South Africa is a game that could go either way. But three victories and a good showing against New Zealand will put England right back on track.
England v South Africa best bet:
Seven tries in 2018 for England, four tries in his last four games, with one each in the three Tests against the Springboks in the summer.
What's more the summer Test series and Rugby Championship saw South Africa leak most of their tries out wide, so fellow winger Jack Nowell at 11/8 anytime scorer is also tempting.
The number eight has three tries in nine appearances, and enjoys the Autumn Internationals after scoring this time last year against Fiji. As Ireland rest some of their big stars for the further tests ahead, Conan will see this as another opportunity to press his case for more starts after a solid summer down under.
Scotland have not won in Wales since 2002, and were defeated 34-7 in February in Cardiff. Expect this game to be closer, but with both teams unable to call on players from outside their own county, Wales' superior strength in depth will see them through.