Boks to focus on tighthead prop
WE HAVE TO BE SMART ABOUT THE POSITION He pointed out the danger the All Blacks pose in that area.
The Springboks will have to be clever in deciding who they field at tighthead in this weekend’s big All Blacks Test at Loftus Versfeld, forwards coach Matt Proudfoot has cautioned.
With Frans Malherbe, Wilco Louw and Vincent Koch all in the selection fray, Proudfoot said yesterday this was a key area, at which New Zealand were often at their most dangerous.
“The importance of tight phases is that it creates space, and the All Blacks love to launch from a maul. They have good steppers and guys who can run good, hard lines,” he said.
“If we see how Argentina struggled at scrum time against the All Blacks, we have to be very smart about our tighthead.
“One can just see how the All Blacks attack your scrum and come with a late shove, and sometimes on the angle.”
Proudfoot pointed out that the All Blacks challenged consistently in the air and on the ground, and the hosts would have to be consistent in their plays and exits.
“Test matches develop in a game, and when you have control, sometimes that control gets taken away,” he said.
“So we would like to stay in control of the Test a bit longer.
“Against Australia we had been asked to make a lot of tackles against a very good attacking side, and to have control a bit longer is what we’re striving for.”
While the All Blacks will be fired up to turn the tables in the Rugby Championship clash, after suffering a rare recent loss to the Boks in Wellington, the South Africans were sweating on the fitness of No 8 Warren Whiteley and centre Damian de Allende, who missed the Aussie Test in Port Elizabeth last week due to ankle and shoulder injuries.
“Damian is doing well. He did most of the training last week, while Warren has gone to rehab and we will probably make a decision on him on Tuesday,” Proudfoot said.
“But I think Sikhumbuzo (Notshe) also did well and he has been around for a long time.”
Backing each player’s skills set was an important factor, Proudfoot felt, so they wanted to find Notshe’s speciality and asses what he was comfortable with, in order for him to bring that to the party.
“He is more of an attacking player and we want him to play his natural game,” Proudfoot said.
“He is a decent lineout option, but there’s also a lot of detail for a young guy to get used to in a short space of time.
“We want him to perform outside the box and not inside the box, and get him into that frame of mind.”
Meanwhile, flank Francois Louw was released from English club Bath and rejoined the Bok training camp yesterday.