Scotland flank pinpoints Springboks' biggest weapon ahead of Loftus Test
SPOTLIGHT: Scotland flank Rory Darge says he understands the challenge that awaits his team’s forward pack when they face South Africa in Round Two of the Nations Championship at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Scotland will head into the clash in search of their first win against the Springboks since that famous 21-17 triumph at Murrayfield in 2010.
The Scots arrived in South Africa from Cordoba on Monday following their 47-38 victory against Argentina in the opening round of the competition.
They’ll face a new-look Bok side after Rassie Erasmus made 10 changes to the team that beat England, with five of those coming in the forward pack.
The total Test caps in the starting eight add up to 171, with 96 of those belonging to Pieter-Steph du Toit alone.
Du Toit will pair up with Paul de Villiers [1 cap] and Evan Roos [8 caps] in the back row.
Speaking to the media, Darge said Scotland will need to be at their best to compete in the breakdown battle.
“It’s a massive role in the back row; we know what we’re going up against,” he said.
“They have some outstanding players there, in particular, Paul de Villiers. I saw him going after the ball against England and really slowing down the ball and disrupting it.
“It’s definitely a challenge, and they’ve got a mindset across their team to disrupt the ball. We just have to do what we can to stop them.”
Scotland will rely heavily on their forward pack if they are to cause an upset at Loftus.
While their sizzling backline, led by Finn Russell, will look to unlock the Bok defence, the forwards must lay the foundation during set-pieces.
They will also require quick and clean ball from the base of the ruck.
“The pressure that they put you under, and the pressure that you feel, it’s hard to replicate until you get into the Test match,” he added.
“They have a physical side and usually have a strong set-piece, and they use it well.
“There are some great athletes, particularly in the wide channels, some of the best in the world. It’s definitely one of the toughest challenges going against South Africa at Loftus.”
Darge featured for Scotland in both their last two meetings against the Boks at the World Cup in 2023 and during the End-of-year tour in 2024.
He shared some of his key takeaways from both encounters.
“They’re a hard team to play against, they do their things very well.
“In terms of the physicality side of things, and set pieces, and trying to disrupt you and taking you away from your game. I felt that in those matches.
“There are bits from those games that you can look at, but I think both teams are so different now and have evolved and have different players.”
Darge, like many of his teammates has played several times at Loftus for the Glasgow Warriors in the URC.
In fact, he was part of the side that won the title in 2024 after they defeated the Bulls 21-16.
When asked whether his knowledge of the ground and playing at altitude would serve as an advantage, he said: “A lot of us have played at altitude before and know what to expect. But it’s a different set of circumstances.”
