Much is made of South Africa's impressive Test record in England since the Proteas returned from Apartheid isolation in 1991, but the hosts will take some inspiration from the overall history -- not least after their convincing first Test victory at Lord's.
The Proteas hold a 2-1 record across the five Test series they have played in England since emerging after 29 years, in 1994, but the fact remains that the English have a superior record overall.
Pre-isolation, the two countries met in 10 series, with England winning eight of them, so the Three Lions actually hold a 9-4 overall advantage, with only two series drawn -- 1994 and 2003.
It took 19 years after the countries first met in South Africa in 1889 to face each other in England, during which period the English had shipped off to the tip of Africa five times.
1907
When the then-Springboks finally arrived in England in 1907 it was for a three-Test series, with wicketkeeper Percy Sherwell as captain. To add to the 'occasion', the first Test was held at Lord's -- famously known as 'The Home of Cricket'.
As that opening clash unfolded, the visitors were lucky to escape with a draw after being forced to follow on. Then, in a low-scoring second Test at Headingley in Leeds, England won by 53 runs. This proved decisive because upon the teams' return to London, for The Oval Test, a draw was the result, allowing Tip Morris' hosts to claim the series 1-0.
1912
South Africa returned to English shores five years later, but it was to take part in an intriguing triangular Test tournament, which also featured Australia.
Despite the uniqueness of the concept, South Africa didn't come to the party... they lost five of their six fixtures, including all three against England -- at Lord's, Headingley and The Oval -- to effectively be wiped 3-0. As the tournament unfolded, Frank Mitchell was replaced by Louis Tancred as captain to highlight how awry things had gone.
CB Fry's England, meanwhile, won the triangular comfortably, but logistical and other challenges meant the experiment was not attempted again... though maybe a future ICC Test Championship could be modelled on it?
1924
The 12-year gap between tours, because of First World War, did nothing to help South Africa's prospects for their third visit, not least when they only mustered 30 in their first innings of the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham. This after Arthur Gilligan's England, anchored by the great opening partnership of Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe, notched up 438.
As was expected, Herbie Taylor's underprepared tourists lost that Test and the next two as well, before the all-too-familiar wet summer affected the final two Tests, saving the South Africans from a possible 5-0 humbling.
1929
At least Nummy Deane's 1929 travellers made a better start to their five-Test series against England -- mustering draws in the first two.
However, England then won the next two at Headingley and Old Trafford in Manchester to seal the series -- despite Jack White relinquishing his place and the captaincy to Arthur Carr for the latter -- ahead of the drawn final Test.
1935
By the time the 1935 series began, South Africa had played 16 Tests in England without winning one.
It didn't look good for Herby Wade's team in the first Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham when they were forced to follow on, but they eked out a draw in that one before surprise, surprise they finally broke their duck in England to win at Lord's.
That was thanks to inspired performances from Bruce Mitchell, wicketkeeper-batsman Jock Cameron, and the gloriously-named Xenophon Constantine Balaskas, a leg-spinner who took nine wickets.
As if that was not enough, South Africa thwarted England in each of the remaining three Test matches to claim a famous first series victory.
1947
Of course, World War II then broke out, meaning England had to wait for 12 years until 1947 for possible revenge. Any number of cricketers from either country missed out on the opportunity to play Test cricket for their country during that gap, but it is a fact that England fielded only three debutants in the first Test while South Africa fielded seven.
Alan Melville's visitors' lack of experience didn't show in the first Test, which they comfortably drew. However, they then lost to Norman Yardley's hosts at Lord's, Old Trafford, and Headingley before finding their resolve again in the final Test at The Oval, which was drawn to confirm England's 3-0 series win.
1951
Come 1951, South Africa were back in England for another five-match series and started on the front foot by winning the first Test at Trent Bridge, largely thanks to captain Dudley Nourse's first innings 208.
However, Freddie Brown's England came charging back in the series, winning the next two Tests by 10 and 9 wickets respectively. The fourth Test at Headingley was drawn, before the hosts sealed the series at The Oval -- a match in which Sir Len Hutton became the first batsman given out for 'obstructing the field' in a Test.
1955
If there was a title for most dramatic South Africa in England Test series then the 1955 humdinger was it. It is the only other series, apart from the one in 1912, in which there was a winner in all the Tests... but the only series to be decided in the final Test.
However, nobody would have predicted that scenario when Peter May's home team cruised into a 2-0 series lead. South Africa's tour captain, Jack Cheetham, injured himself during that second Test and subsequently missed the next two fixtures at Old Trafford and Headingley.
As it happened, stand-in captain Jackie McGlew led the South Africans to two famous victories -- the second particularly against the odds -- to bring the series to 2-2.
Cheetham returned for the decider at The Oval, a venue which drew 100 000 people to an absorbing contest. Ultimately, English spin twins Jim Laker and Tony Lock's combined 15 wickets in the match proved all the difference, while England's 92-run winning margin was almost exactly their captain May's match-high score.
1960
A look at the 3-0 scoreline of the 1960 series would suggest a return to the hosts' routine dominance, not least because those three wins came at the start of the series at Edgbaston, Lord's, and Trent Bridge -- the final two Tests were drawn.
Jackie McGlew, now permanent captain, couldn't replicate his leadership mojo, while Colin Cowdrey, appointed Test-by-Test due to Peter May's injury-enforced absence, seemingly had the magic touch.
The story of the series was -- sadly -- about South Africa's young fast bowler Geoff Griffin being no-balled out of the game for a questionable action during the second Test at Lord's; much more so than the oddity of Sid O'Linn forcing through a divorce to join the tour.
1965
Of course, as the post-WWII series' between the countries took place, the spectre of Apartheid in South Africa was becoming a bigger and bigger story, to such a degree that it was only a matter of time before it affected the viability of tours in either direction.
That only truly manifested itself after South Africa's 1965 visit, which started with the 100th Test between the two teams -- a draw which could have gone either way.
The second Test at Trent Bridge did produce a winner, and it came thanks to the Pollock brothers. Graeme with the bat and Peter with ball made Peter van der Merwe's tourists only the fourth to win a Test in England in 58 years.
When the Proteas thwarted their hosts in the third Test at The Oval, Mike Smith became only the second England captain to lead (or doom) his troops to a home series defeat against South Africa.
At least, for their sakes, Smith and Wyatt have subsequently been joined in the 'naughty corner' by Michael Vaughan in 2008 (before making way for Kevin Pietersen) and Andrew Strauss, who was defeated in the most recent series between the two countries in 2012.
However, it doesn't mask the fact that when it comes to South Africa in England series, the visitors have some ground to make up, especially as they're one-nil down already.