England duo Owen Farrell and Mako Vunipola have impressed John Smit

World Cup-winning captain John Smit has tipped his Saracens team-mates Mako Vunipola and Owen Farrell to have bright futures for England.

Crucial

Farrell and Vunipola are two of the bright young stars who have been blooded by England since Stuart Lancaster took over the reins. And Smit believes that there England and South Africa - who now have former Leicester and Bulls boss Heyneke Meyer at the helm - are on parallel paths. "Both squads are in a similar situation," Smit said. "They both have new coaches that are building young squads with a view to the future. They are gaining valuable experience all the time and both have huge potential and have showed signs of improvements. "I think both teams have squads that can develop towards the World Cup but they will have to start to deliver results. "I can see from the England squad that they have got some good players who are working hard. They have a belief in their coach and what he is trying to do and that is crucial." The two squads will already know plenty about one another after clashing during a thrilling three-Test series in the summer. The Boks took the honours 22-17 and 36-27 in the first two Tests, while England restored some honour by drawing the final encounter 14-14. And Smit is expecting England to be encouraged by their performances in those matches. "I do see it being close again on Saturday," Smit added. "England will take confidence from their draw in Port Elizabeth and will be looking to build on that at home." John Smit was speaking at the launch of the QBE Internationals. QBE, the business insurance specialist, is proud to sponsor the QBE Internationals and be Official Insurance Partner of England Rugby. For more information visit www.QBERugby.com