Former England prop Dan Cole believes the Springboks’ dominance at scrum time is built on more than just size.
Cole, who faced the Boks several times during his Test career, says the world champions combine immense physical power with an uncompromising scrummaging mentality.
Speaking on the For The Love Of Rugby podcast, the 2019 World Cup finalist said the Boks possess a rare combination of size and technique.
“They have incredibly large men that know the importance of a scrum,” Cole said.
“When you think about their front row, you think about the great tightheads they have had from Frans Malherbe to Thomas du Toit and Wilco Louw. They are big, 130-plus-kilo men, which are not easy to find on this planet.
“You have hookers like Malcolm Marx and Bongi Mbonambi who basically want to scrummage and are big men, and they are bigger hookers than you have elsewhere.
“The looseheads may not be that big, but they are incredibly strong … So mass moves mass.”
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Cole believes years of set-piece dominance have also influenced the way referees view the Springbok scrum.
“Because it’s South Africa, they almost get an extra second,” he said. “They get a nudge on, and they end up getting a penalty because they built that psyche and they earned the right to do that.”
He added that the Bok’ Bomb Squad only compounds the challenge for opponents.
“Normally when you play South Africa, you pick your best scrum; your best front row that can scrummage, but the guys on the bench aren’t as good as your starters,” Cole said.
“Whereas South Africa, their starters are good and the bench can be even better or just as good.
“So they almost have a strength on a strength. They double down on that strength, knowing that you might be able to last with them for 50 or 60 minutes, but over the full length of the game, they will get you and they punish you.”
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For Cole, the only way to survive against the Bok pack is to embrace the battle.
“They are going to be on top, but you have to have the ability and the mindset to go, ‘We’re going to dig in.’
“Everyone has to front up and take on this challenge and try and live to see another day.”
Photo: Steve Haag/Getty Images
The post Cole: Bok scrum’s earned an extra second appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former England prop Dan Cole believes the Springboks’ dominance at scrum time is built on more than just size.
The post Cole: Bok scrum’s earned an extra second appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
