Springboks: Daan Human addresses scrum laws trials, wary of Aussie dark arts
Springboks scrum coach Daan Human is unfazed by the law changes but is wary of the threat Australia pose.
Springboks assistant coach Daan Human is unfazed by the potential impact that the new law trials will have on the scrum during the Rugby Championship.
South Africa have become renowned for their prowess at the set-piece in recent years but there are fears that World Rugby’s law changes and trials will nullify the Boks’ effectiveness in the scrums.
The removal of the scrum option from a free-kick proved rather controversial, particularly amongst Springboks fans after Damian Willemse famously called for the set-piece from a mark inside his own 22 during the World Cup quarter-finals last year.
Meanwhile, SANZAAR have confirmed that a shot clock for scrums and lineouts will be trialled during this year’s Rugby Championship. Not only will kickers have 60 seconds for both conversions and penalties, but teams will have just 30 seconds to set up a scrum and lineout.
Springboks unfazed by scrum clock
Wallabies boss Joe Schmidt believes that the trial will have an impact on the size of players in the future and have an influence on the Rugby Championship this year in context with the Springboks’ famed ‘Bomb Squad’ replacements that is usually heavily weighted in favour of the forwards.
However, the Boks’ scrum guru Human is not concerned by the shot clock for the set-piece and says that his pack is tracking well in training.
“For us, it’s not that tough to adapt because last week we got through 16 live scrums in 20 minutes – so we are more or less there for what we want to achieve,” he explained.
“It’s not a new thing for us, I have said it previously that we like to get our scrum sessions to be tougher than the games which is not always the case.
“But as for the shot clock, setting up in 30 seconds is pretty normal. We measured it in training this week and we got to the point where we were right on par with where we want to be. So it’s not really a big change for us.”
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Wallabies’ dark arts
While the Springboks are known for their prowess in the scrums, they have seldom been able to flex that dominance against the Wallabies in recent encounters due to crafty tactics from the men in gold.
That is something Human is well aware of and admitted to be true, with the Bok coach adding that the Wallabies are more “stable” now than they have been in previous years.
“Every team has their own strengths and the scrum is definitely one of ours,” he said. “But yes Australia have always found a way to manage or handle us and sometimes they do it well and sometimes they don’t.
“I’m not going to comment on where they are weak, I can say that they have a 100% success rate in their last three games [against Wales and Georgia] in the scrums – they had a great outcome.”
Fresh tactics
Still, the Boks won’t be resting on their laurels as Human reveals that they are always innovating and looking at ways to get an advantage.
“They [Australia] are a much more stable scrum than they were in the past but so are we, we are already working on a lot of new stuff that we want to implement on Saturday,” he added.
“So little, by little, we are getting there and we will see the outcome on Saturday whether we are going forward or not.
“We just continue to do what we have always done while adapting to how the referees are officiating the game.
“It’s still a big part of our game, of our mentality and if you have a dominant scrum it helps you massively; it gives you a great platform to play off.
“The scrum is not something that is being worked out of the game and it’s just the one law that you can’t opt for a scrum from a free-kick that has changed.
“Sometimes you get an advantage in a game if there are a lot of scrums and put pressure on the opposition but that requires a proper platform.
“Hopefully, the scrum stays a part of the game for a long, long time.”
