England captain Michael Vaughan admitted his team had been complacent after their seven-wicket defeat against South Africa A.
The game was the touring side's only first-class warm-up before the five-match test series starts in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
"I think we didn't take the match as seriously as we should have, but it was the kick up the backside we needed," Vaughan said after the defeat in Potchefstroom.
"We will do some serious talking before Friday and I'm sure we will be more focused by the test."
South Africa A coach Vincent Barnes also felt England would come right.
"Our bowlers stopped the England batsmen from getting as much time as possible out in the middle, but we all know things will be very different in the test," Barnes said.
"England are a world-class side and they will be fully pumped up."
Barnes, who is also the assistant coach of the test team under Ray Jennings, said England's troubles in Potchefstroom, 140 kilometres south-west of Johannesburg, would give the South African senior team confidence.
"It will give them some heart to see how out of synch some of the England batsmen were," Barnes said.
{{/usCountry}}"It will give them some heart to see how out of synch some of the England batsmen were," Barnes said.
{{/usCountry}}England batted poorly on a pitch with a reputation for being the flattest in South Africa, scoring 225 and 190.
Top-order batsmen Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe, none of whom were on England's recent trip to Zimbabwe, all failed, scoring just 23 runs between them in the two innings.
"They outplayed us for most of the match," Vaughan said.