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Cape Town - Springbok scrum coach Matt Proudfoot said it will be important to meet the physical challenge of the Italian pack when the two sides meet in Padova on Saturday.
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Proudfoot said the Italians pride themselves on their set-pieces and their ability to stop forward momentum at the breakdown.“The work by our ball carriers during and after contact, in tandem with our cleaners, will hopefully enable us to get quick ball on Saturday,” said Proudfoot.
“We will have to work very hard against a determined Italian pack who are playing at home.”
Proudfoot was especially pleased with the training effort and intensity of the Springbok forwards on Tuesday: “The scrum machine and field surface were perhaps not the best, which prompted us to go for some live scrums.
“The effort of the boys on out there on the pitch was outstanding, and you are able to get so much more from them during live scrum simulations,” said Proudfoot.
“The response of the players have been good, because we want them to train with high intensity. I think they adapted well to the different conditions on tour, coming off a southern hemisphere competition and conditions, to adjust to the conditions up north.
“Here the scrum contest is much longer and the forwards play much tighter, and I think our forwards have developed and grown nicely in adapting to these conditions,” added Proudfoot.
The Springbok team to face Italy will be announced on Thursday afternoon.
