Scotland have been “basically perfect” so far at the Rugby World Cup and are a huge threat to South Africa in the big Pool B game at Newcastle on Saturday, believes their forwards coach Pieter de Villiers.
The Springboks bounced back impressively from their opening humiliation against Japan to rout Samoa in impressive fashion at Birmingham on Saturday and will be looking to leapfrog the Scots with a win at St James’ Park.
But de Villiers admitted they had been impressed with what they have seen so far.
“We know it’s a team on the up,” he said. “We won our last meeting quite comfortably but we can certainly remember games where it was a very tough battle against them as well.
“We are taking them very seriously. Their build up to the World Cup has been very good, their preparation games have been good, their first two games in the pool stages have been basically perfect.
“Vern Cotter has changed a lot for their team as well. They have upped it a level. Their clubs are doing well in local and Euro competitions as well so it is clearly a country on the up in terms of rugby quality.”
Willem Nel, the South African-born tight-head likely to start for Scotland this weekend, “will obviously have a lot to prove” added de Villiers.
“I think Willem has progressed a lot as a player,” he said. “Coming to Europe brings a different scrum battle, a different scrum challenge and it makes for a more rounded and more balanced player.
“He has recently become their number one tight head and he came on this last weekend again and changed the scrums so we are looking forward to that battle with him.”
Francois Louw, the South African open side, believes that after the disaster of the Japan game the Springboks who had yet to win back-to-back games in 2015 every game was now a possible elimination match.
“We have to win this game, that’s our World Cup really,” he admitted. “Every game now is a knock out game.
“The way that we started this tournament wasn’t ideal. We had a great win last week but the outcome is that nothing has changed, we’re still in the same position To finish strongest in our pool we need to win all our games.”
The Springboks have already lost their captain Jean de Villiers to a cheekbone fracture, and Damian de Allende, his centre partner, is struggling with an injury. Perhaps with this in mind, the South Africans put back their team announcement from early this morning until late afternoon.