South Africa’s formidable pack has the inexperienced Wallabies front-row in their sights as they seek to demolish the Australian scrum at Suncorp Stadium.
It was the Springboks’ undervalued backline which stung Australia badly in Perth but the ever-hungry world champions are also desperate for complete forward domination on Saturday night.
The Wallabies’ pack certainly didn’t win the set-piece battle, especially with lineout frailties exposed at key times, at Subiaco Oval but South Africa were less than satisfied with their return.
The visitors conceded a string of penalties at scrum time in their four-try 32-25 triumph which sparked a please-explain letter sent to IRB referees boss Paddy O’Brien.
Assistant coach Dick Muir on Thursday reported the Springboks were satisfied with O’Brien’s response, and cited differences of opinions between themselves and referee Bryce Lawrence rather than “technical problems”.
Muir praised Saturday night’s whistle-blower Wayne Barnes as a well-credentialled official and suggested South Africa’s superior muscle would win out with monstrous front-row collisions.
“It’s something that we have worked on this week to be better in the scrums on Saturday,” he said. “We’re very confident that it is an area he (Barnes) will manage very carefully.
“He would have done his homework and he would realise the strength of the South African pack.”
While Australian loose-head Benn Robinson continues to trouble Springbok skipper John Smit, his fellow front-rowers Ben Alexander and Tatafu Polota-Nau each start their second Tri-Nations Tests.
Vice-captain Victor Matfield stressed his scrum – led by Beast Mtawarira – was focussed on unleashing huge hits at contact to dominate, either with good ball or penalties from collapses.
“It’s very technical,” Matfield said. “Some days you get it right and I think we just look back a few weeks against the British and Irish Lions where the one week we dominated and the next week they dominated.
“We have worked a lot this week on a great hit.
“Hopefully the ref will allow both teams to go for big hits and allow the stronger team to get the upper hand.”
The lineout is always an area the Springboks, with lock Matfield calling the shots, attempt to exploit.
Polota-Nau’s surprise ascension at hooker ahead of Stephen Moore and a smaller back-row surely has Matfield’s mouth watering at the opportunity to dismantle the Wallabies set-piece.
The powerful Australian rake’s reputation has been sullied by throwing woes in the past.
He’s improved, particularly with the Waratahs in the 2009 Super 14, but remains shaky against the Boks.
The Wallabies are also hamstrung by having three jumpers instead of four after No.8 Richard Brown was dumped for a second ball-scavenger in David Pocock.
“Hopefully we can put them under pressure and that can be a good area for us,” he said.
“We believe they will go with shorter lineouts that will help them with three jumpers.”
Matfield hinted he could move to the front of the lineout to add extra scrutiny to Polota-Nau’s throwing.
Rah Rah Rasputin
Guest
The Boks are going to need a bigger gap inorder to achieve a big hit at the engagement. Getting that big hit is going to be problematic for the Boks bc (1) with a big gap the props tend to over extend them selves to take the extra space (there back and thighs should be a right angles) and as a result the scrum collapses and (2) Wallalbies are able to pack lower then the Boks, so they won't be hitting straight but down which is more then likely to draw the attention of the ref and penalties. Scrums tend to be far more stable the closer the frontrows are at engagement and the Ref is far more likely to let the Wallabies crowd the Boks frontrow if it means he dosen't have continually resets. This will benefit the Wallabies and particular Ben Robinson. That being said, I won't be surprised if the Boks are very insistent on getting a big gap and expect Smit/ Du Pleisse to stand up a few scrums to emphasise the point. The Wallabies need to be careful not to overplay there hand in trying to manipulate these deficencies, particularly by pulling back on the engagement, or they are equally at risk of being penalised. Overall, I still expect the Wallaby scrum to win out in the end.
Ziggy
Guest
The scrum remains a mystery. Now we are reuled by opinions of Refs. Why bother with Laws if they are indeciphrable?