Cape Town - Winning the scrums will be a priority for South Africa when they face Argentina in the opening match of the Rugby Championship in Nelspruit on Saturday, according to coach Allister Coetzee.
The battle for control of the set pieces is always keenly contested when the two nations meet.
“We know Argentina will look to get dominance in that area and then that allows the free-flowing stuff to start from there. We are under no illusions we need to establish set-piece dominance and gain line ascendancy,” Coetzee told reporters on Monday.
The coach, who has repeatedly emphasised the importance of his side making the set piece a strength, said a review of the scrummaging in the 2-1 series win against Ireland in June was positive.
“We were pleased with the scrums against Ireland, especially on our ball, but there were times we were caught on the hop a bit on our defensive scrum. So it is an area we will continue to work on,” added Coetzee.
Julian Redelinghuys, set for a first start on Saturday, said he was looking forward to testing himself against a formidable Pumas scrum.
“It's one area they always focus on heavily, they love their scrum and it's where they pose a massive threat,” said the prop.
“But we need to focus on what we need to do and to ensure we're prepared for a massive challenge. It's something we want to embrace and enjoy.” – Reuters