Scots ken die taal

29 September 2015 - 02:24 By Craig Ray

Flank Schalk Burger believes that Scotland's ability to understand Springbok calls in Afrikaans - thanks to their South African imports - adds a tricky layer to Saturday's Pool B World Cup clash. Scotland have two former Super rugby players, Josh Strauss and WP Nel, in their ranks and will make full use of that pair as they gather intelligence for a match that could decide the winners of the pool."Afrikaans is not going to be that handy against players with very Scottish sounding surnames such as Nel and Strauss," Burger said."We have played against those two players a lot at provincial level. Scotland are playing well and it will be a good challenge for us."There was a more relaxed mood in the Bok camp following their 46-6 win over Samoa in Birmingham on Saturday, which came seven days after a 34-32 loss to Japan.One of the problems the Boks have endured this year is not being able to string two good performances together. The last time they won back-to-back Tests was at the end-of-year tour to Britain and Europe in 2014."Yes, consistency has been an issue," Burger said. "We must take the formula from what we got right against Samoa and try to improve on that. Believe it or not, there were some positives that came out of the Japan game and at this stage it is as much a mental battle as a physical one."Hooker Schalk Brits, who scored his first Test try against Samoa at the weekend, also warned that, under New Zealand coach Vern Cotter, Scotland have grown as a team."I actually like watching Scotland for the first time ever," Brits said. "Cotter wants them to play with discipline but he gives them freedom to play as well. That has filtered into their domestic game. There is a definite New Zealand influence in their play."It's great to see Scotland strong, it makes the game of rugby better."..

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