Bully us if you can, say Boks
Scotland forwards take up the challenge
Springbok coach Jake White issued the challenge and Scotland counterpart Frank Hadden immediately accepted. When the two sides go head-to-head in the second test in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, the contest will be decided between the forwards.
White made it clear that Scotland will have to get the better of the Bok forwards if they hope to pull off their first ever win on South African soil.
"Scotland will have to take on our forwards to win," White said. "We are proud of our pack," the Bok coach added.
White left the Bok pack unchanged after their dominance over Scotland in the 36-16 first test rout in Durban last week.
"Our forwards want to improve on certain things that we achieved in the first Test," White said.
And Hadden's response was to impress on Alastair Kellock and Nathan Hines that they must repeat their Calcutta Cup heroics (a Six Nations win over England) in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Kellock and Hines will link up in the second row in a bid to combat the formidable force of Victor Matfield and Danie Rossouw.
Kellock celebrated his 25th birthday with the call-up to replace Scott Murray in the starting XV.
Hines teamed up with the Edinburgh Gunners man back in February as Scotland claimed an 18-12 triumph over England at Murrayfield in the Six Nations championship.
Now the Scotland boss wants the two forwards to help claim an historic win over South Africa and level the series.
"Roughly speaking, the most obvious thing about this team is that this is the biggest pack we can muster to minimise the gap in size," Hadden said.
"We have also opted to fill the bench with five big forwards and only two backs, which reflects where we see the heart of the battle.
"And, remember, the last time this lock combination were in tandem was against England – and things did not go too badly then."
Elsewhere, Hadden has replaced front-row pair Bruce Douglas and Scott Lawson with Craig Smith and Dougie Hall.
But the Scotland coach insists the omission of Douglas is simply to hand him a rest after a full season of rugby.
"We can't afford to start the way we did last week," Hadden said suggesting the fatigue may have contributed to his team's woes in the scrums.
"The scrummage got better in the second half and we have to give those guys a chance.
"Of all the front-row players, Bruce Douglas is the one who has played the most rugby.
"While the others have been rotated he has ploughed on every week with the Borders and, maybe, that is showing a little."
