Human says Boks can step it up at scrum time in Cape Town Test

Springbok forwards coach Daan Human is hoping to see an improved performance from his charges in the scrum battle when they face the All Blacks in their second Rugby Championship game at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

Although the Boks won the first game at Ellis Park 31-27, they did not get as much dominance at scrum time as they would have liked, as a fierce battle saw a pretty even contest between the two packs.

Human now wants to see the Bok pack lift their level in the second Test and try to get one over one of the best scrumming sides in world rugby.

“We had our review and we feel there’s a lot we can work on and improve on. We realise that New Zealand is a quality side and it is tough to have great results in all departments against a quality side,” explained Human at a Bok presser on Monday.

“They have a quality pack, a scrum that is rated as one of the best in the world and they are guided by quality coaches. That is why the All Blacks are in a good space at the moment. They forced eight scrum penalties in their second game against Argentina (last month).

“I would not say they are the best in the world, but one of the best. You can’t underestimate the effectiveness of Ireland or ourselves, and also the Argentinians, but they are definitely up there with one of the best. So although I felt we did alright there last weekend, we can certainly still improve.”

Prop Du Toit?

Human also joked that the Boks may look to deploy utility forward Pieter-Steph du Toit in the front row, after he played in both lock positions and at blindside flank against the All Blacks last weekend, while explaining how important the player is to the rest of the squad.

“You know what the lekker thing about Pieter-Steph du Toit is? He played at No 4, 5 and 7. As a prop, I’m not sure if he’s there yet, but we will work on that,” said Human with a laugh.

“He adds a lot of value and I don’t think he cares, when he puts that jersey on, whether he’s on the bench, it doesn’t matter, he just wants to play. Hopefully he can be part of it again on the weekend. Hopefully, that flows over to the rest of the players as well.

“It’s inspiring to watch a guy play like that. Really, it’s nice. He’s always a learner and always wants to get better. Even himself, this morning he said there are certain areas where he can get better. That’s good to know.”