Sharks forwards coach Philip Lemmer is expecting an enthralling battle between two juggernaut packs at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Lemmer’s likened the set-piece battle against the Stormers to brothers going toe-to-toe, with years of Springbok history between the two sets of forwards set to spill over.
The Durban-based side heads into the URC coastal derby full of confidence after a dominant start to their scrum this season against European opposition, but Lemmer knows the Stormers’ forward pack will provide the sternest test yet.
“It’s going to be a battle,” he told the media on Tuesday. “I said to the forwards this week that it’s almost like two brothers taking each other on at scrum time.
“These players know each other very well and played against each other for many years at the Boks as well.
“It’s always a contest and a battle so I think this weekend will be a massive point for both teams to see who can dominate the set-piece.”
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The Sharks’ scrum has fired smoothly through their opening two matches against the Ospreys and Leinster, something Lemmer credits to the standards being set at training.
“Pre-season will always play a role, but I think the standards with which the guys are challenging each other at practice sessions, is gold to us,” he said.
“Each guy makes sure that he keeps the guy next to him accountable and that’s the only way we can drive standards. If you do that the results and good stats will come by itself.”
But Lemmer is wary of a Stormers pack renowned for its driving maul and lineout work, even after a difficult outing against the elements in Edinburgh last Friday.
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“They’re extremely physical and the same way they feel about scrums, they feel about mauling,” he said. “They do get a lot of advantage, a lot of metres from mauling. It’s physical and it’s one thing their forwards do well.
“We see their lineouts and mauling as just as big of a threat. Yes, they lost a few balls in that wind, it was tough and wasn’t easy, but they pride themselves on their scrumming and mauling and we know what’s coming this weekend.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Lemmer: Scrums like brothers fighting appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Sharks forwards coach Philip Lemmer is expecting an enthralling battle between two juggernaut packs at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
The post Lemmer: Scrums like brothers fighting appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
