Montgomery warns of Scottish backlash
'We're not taking anything for granted'
The Springboks may be on the verge of equaling the record for the most consecutive victories against Scotland, coming off the back of their record 36-16 demolition of the Scots in Durban last week, but veteran fullback Percy Montgomery has warned about a Scottish backlash in the second test in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The Boks are currently on a four-match victory march against Scotland – only bettered by the five-match winning streak recorded between 1912 and 1961 – but Montgomery feels this and other statistic will all be meaningless in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
He also said last week's encounter in Durban will have no bearing on this week's encounter.
Despite the ease with which the Boks dominated in Durban, Montgomery feels that they will face a far tougher test in PE.
"It will be a completely different ball game this week," Montgomery told this website.
"You know how test matches go. What happened last week is not a guarantee that it will be the same this week.
"We are certainly not taking anything for granted and are preparing for a very tough test match," the Bok No.15 added.
He also felt that despite last week's result and the Boks' most recent record against the Scots there is every indication that the tourists have the qualities to turn the tables on the Boks.
"They did very well in the Six Nations this year and that is not a record that can be discarded. They remain a very good team and we will have to be on top of our game."
While Montgomery expressed the team's sentiments and cautious approach, the statistic do paint a very bleak picture for the tourists.
South Africa have now won 13 of the previous 17 encounters between the two teams, a success rate of more than 76 percent.
The Springboks' largest win remains the 68-10 hammering they handed out to Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 6 December 1997. South Africa have scored 431 points in their 17 encounters with Scotland and conceded 188 – a match average of just over 25-11.
South Africa's recent run against Scotland:
2006: South Africa won 36-16, Durban
2004: South Africa won 45-10, Edinburgh
2003: South Africa won 28-19, Johannesburg
2003: South Africa won 29-25, Durban
South Africa's longest victory run against Scotland:
1961: South Africa won 12-5, Edinburgh
1960: South Africa won 18-10, Port Elizabeth
1951: South Africa won 44-0, Edinburgh
1932: South Africa won 6-3, Edinburgh
1912: South Africa won 16-0, Inverleith
All stats courtesy of our statistics partner Pick and Go!
By Jan de Koning
