Springboks wary of Azzuri prowess in scrums

Springbok assistant coach Daan Human and utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels said on Monday they would not underestimate Italy in their opening Test at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, saying they respect the Azzurri immensely.

Italy may be ranked 10th in the world, but the Bok duo expect a tough encounter against the visitors, especially given their emphasis on the scrums and the quality of their rugby in general.

“Unlike the Barbarians, who do not play regularly, Italy do, so we will face a proper Test team on Saturday,” Human said.

“The one thing about the Springboks is we do not underestimate any side and we know Italy are focused on their forward play, so it will be a proper Test match.”

Human elaborated on Italy’s performances this season, especially their set pieces.

“They were competitive in their first two Six Nations matches and they have a 93% scrum completion rate, which says a lot about that area of their game,” he said.

“They also won four scrum penalties and got a penalty try against Namibia, who had a few players who have played in Rugby World Cups before, so we certainly respect them as a team.

“We are not sure who they will play in the pack this weekend, but we know it will be a good contest.”

Wessels, one of the Boks’ try-scorers in their 54-7 victory against the BaaBaas, also spoke highly of the opposition.

“I faced Zebre Parma and Benetton in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and we did our homework on those players then, so we know the emphasis they place on the scrums.

“Zebre Parma had one of their best seasons this year and beat a few big teams in the competition, so we are expecting a proper battle.”

Zoning in on what the Springboks want to achieve up front, Wessels said: “We want to go into this match setting a high standard for ourselves. We have huge respect for all the teams we face and knowing how strong their scrums are we want to make a big impact in the set pieces.”

With Wessels equally adept at playing prop and hooker, he said he doesn’t mind which role he has to fill when he takes the field.

“I don’t have a preference. I just want to contribute wherever I am picked and as much as I feel for Gerhard [Steenekamp] when he got injured, having to play both positions helped me in getting game time at prop and hooker.”

Wessels spoke about the benefits for himself and prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye of the time they spent with Human on the coach’s farm in the Free State working on scrummaging before the Boks’ home season.

“We had a break during the URC and my parents live in Bloemfontein, so Daan offered to help me grow in that role. It’s the small things that make one a better player and though it was tough I enjoyed it.”

Human said the focus on the farm was “first, to ensure they are conditioned to scrum well and we also worked on the fundamentals of scrummaging”.

“I’ve always said you do not scrum against a machine on the field, so we try to use techniques to make the players better scrummagers.”

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his match day squad on Tuesday. 

SA Rugby media