Jones was on the receiving end when coach of Australia and had an inside view as assistant coach of the huge Springbok team that won the 2007 World Cup on the back of their monumental power and stone-wall defence.
The shrewd Australian has shown though, most memorably when leading Japan to a stunning upset victory at last year's World Cup, that you do not always have to try to outmuscle the Springboks to defeat them.
England have not beaten South Africa for 10 years, in the process seeing off four coaches who all followed the mantra of having to match the most physical team in the game.
Now in charge of an England side not short in the beef department themselves, Jones is again plotting a way to get round, rather than through, the men in green in Saturday's Twickenham meeting.
"South African rugby has traditionally been about momentum; big ball carriers getting over the gain line, and nothing's changed," Jones told reporters on Thursday.
"They're a very structured side. They play like a physical game of chess, like chess with steroids. They know exactly where they want to go and they do it with force.
"We knew they would pick a mammoth back row. If you're not 6-foot-6 you get shot and thrown out the door over there," added Jones.
TERRIFIC SPEED
"But I think it's funny when people talk about it being a big physical challenge. I told the players today 'if you're not physical in rugby you should be playing volleyball or curling'."
Under Jones's guidance Japan combined terrific speed and mobility with remarkable fitness when they shocked the Boks in the pool stage of the 2015 World Cup.
The Australian said, however, that little from that game would apply on Saturday.
"We're a bit different than Japan and psychologically we're in a very different position," he explained. "There are ways to get to South Africa. Because of the overtness of their physicality they give you opportunities and we'll take them.
"It's almost the opposite game that you play against New Zealand where you want to keep your game as structured as possible. Against South Africa you want to do it unstructured."
After chess, volleyball and curling, Jones found a further cross-sport analogy when he referenced the famed 'Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight title fight of 1974' and the 'Rope a Dope' tactics Muhammad Ali used to first tire, then destroy a physically superior rival.
"When Ali fought George Foreman, if he went toe to toe with him he was going to lose so he had to find other ways of getting around him," Jones said.
"Of course we’re not shying away from the physical side of the game but against that you have got to play smart."
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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