Boks will go back to the grind to outfox Scots

The Springbok pack intends to dish out the same punishment it inflicted on Ireland in the second half last week, when South Africa clash with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

After a disappointing first half in Dublin, the Bok pack destroyed the Irish with their rolling maul, while the physicality of the forwards also ensured that Ireland lost almost all the second-half collisions, resulting in 13 unanswered points and a 16-12 win. It is that intensity that the tourists are hoping to emulate against the combative Scots.

Bok coach Heyneke Meyer was in animated conversation with All Black counterpart Steve Hansen at the team's hotel on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh on Monday morning, and no doubt intelligence about Scotland was passed on from the New Zealander.

Bok forward coach Johan van Graan, who has quietly been turning the pack into a formidable unit during the course of the season, has done his homework on the Scottish forwards, and the upshot is that the Boks need to grind Scotland into the Murrayfield turf to win.

"Mauling is a big part of our game and it's something that the northern hemisphere teams are also known for doing well," Van Graan said.

"When you use it, you have to use it intelligently from the right areas of the field. You must also show respect to your opponents because most of the northern hemisphere teams can counter it pretty well.

"Although it looks good, it is important that guys like Jannie du Plessis, the Beast (when he played), Juandre Kruger, Eben Etzebeth and Duane Vermeulen work hard to set the base and keep it up.

"Once they get that part right it's very difficult for the opposition to sack you legally. From there it's all about technique and synergy from the pack to make it effective."

Ireland niggled the Boks in the first half, holding players back at rucks. But Van Graan warned that the players wouldn't stand for the same from Scotland.

"At some stages against Ireland it became pretty hot on the field, but in the end we showed great composure and, once we got on top of them, we closed that match out comfortably," said Van Graan.