Master playmaker Finn Russell will lead Scotland against the world champion Springboks at Loftus Versfeld on 11 July. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
In the second part of our mini-series building towards the Springboks' Nations Championship Tests, we look at their second match against Scotland.
After a rollercoaster Six Nations campaign, the Scots head to Pretoria in July to face Rassie Erasmus and Co, setting up a tantalising flyhalf battle between Finn Russell and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
World Rugby ranking: Seventh | Six Nations finish: Third | Nations Cup v South Africa: 11 July at Loftus Versfeld
The Scots began the Six Nations in ignominious fashion, barely firing a shot in Rome as they went down to Italy 18-15. Coach Gregor Townsend was castigated by Scottish fans and almost certainly went into the following week’s game, against old enemy England, on a final warning. Talk about going from zero to hero as the Sassenachs were put to the sword, 31-20.
But this is where we begin to pick up a pattern with Scotland — in their next game, they were very average against Wales and lucky to get out of jail at the death in Cardiff. The fans’ knives came half out of their sheaths only for Scotland to return to Murrayfield and deliver their best performance in decades in flogging the French 50-40.
In the following match, away to Ireland, they leaked 43 points, although to be fair to Scotland, they made a good contribution to an enthralling match. In essence, the Scots are almost unbeatable at Murrayfield — in the matches against England and France they rattled up 81 points — but in July, they are going to find Loftus Versfeld a very long way from Edinburgh.
If their forwards can gain parity with their Bok opposition — and it is hard to see that happening across the whole 80 minutes as they do not have the depth of the South Africans — the Scots have a backline that can score blistering tries. At flyhalf, Finn Russell is back to his magical best, the centre partnership of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones is arguably the best in the world, and they have lethal finishers in South African-born Kyle Steyn and Darcy Graham.
Townsend remains a wily schemer — he had full-back Blair Kinghorn winning a lineout in a hybrid role in Dublin — but the Scottish pack will struggle to give that backline quality ball in Pretoria.
At 33-years old, Russell is at the zenith of his powers. He is mercurial, clever and a cheeky playmaker.
The Springbok fly-half is almost a decade younger and at a different juncture in his career. Feinberg-Mngomezulu will admit that he can learn plenty from the canny Scot.
On Thursday | Springboks in their sights: Can Wales’ off-loading game stun the world champions?