The Springboks will be looking to tie up a few loose ends when they face Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday at 6 pm.
And one of them is their performance at the breakdown, where the loose forward combination of captain Siya Kolisi, Duane Vermeulen and Warren Whiteley have failed to make much of an impact in the two matches against England and France on tour to date.
A shake-up in the back row is needed and with Whiteley being a doubt for Saturday’s Test because of a calf injury, the Boks trained with Duane Vermeulen at No.8, Francois Louw at No.6 and both Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Pieter-Steph du Toit at blindside flanker on Wednesday.
With Notshe also having played in the No.6 jumper for the Stormers before and Vermeulen a known scavenger to add to Louw’s obvious talent on the ground, all indications are that the Boks will attack the breakdown.
Assistant coach Matthew Proudfoot agrees that the breakdown battle needs a lot of attention against their hosts.
FLANK OPTIONS: Siya Kolisi, left, and Sikhumbuzo Notshe. Photo: CHRIS RICCO/BACKPAGEPIX
Forwards boss Proudfoot, who represented Scotland in four Tests between 1998 and 2003, says: “The challenge of the breakdown and contact point is always crucial in Tests.
“Scotland are technically more intelligent whereas France were more physical in terms of where they pilfer and how they pilfer, so the challenge is slightly different.”
Apart from the breakdown challenge, Proudfoot also believes the Boks will have to be patient on attack and defence.
INFORMED: Matt Proudfoot. Photo: CHRIS RICCO/BACKPAGEPIX
He adds: “Continuity [is Scotland’s greatest strength].
“They have the ability to apply pressure through their kicking game.
“They are able to defend for long and you don’t break them down easily.”
But he adds that they will have to pick their moments carefully to strike.
Proudfoot explains: “Patience isn’t just going to do that [break them down] - you’ve got to crack them open.
“If you don’t have big moments, it’s tough to break them down.”