Daan Human addresses scrum debate ahead of All Blacks showdown

The Boks arrived in Gauteng on Sunday and returned to full training on Monday ahead of their third Test against the All Blacks in the Castle Double Malt Rugby's Greatest Rivalry at the 90,000-seater FNB Stadium.

The Boks' scrummaging has been under the spotlight following last week's Test in Cape Town, with questions raised about their technique and the way the set piece was refereed.

Human, however, backed referee Angus Gardner's performance in the 33-26 victory and said South Africa would simply adapt to the referee's interpretation this weekend.

"I actually thought Angus Gardner was very consistent in his decisions last Saturday," said Human. "What he called for us, he called for them. It was the same story.

"I have respect for him and I'm not going to question his decisions, but also that's in the past now. This weekend we need to adapt to how the new referee sees it, and if he tells us to fix something we'll fix it. But I genuinely don't think Angus refereed differently to how he normally does."

Asked about suggestions that the Boks walk around in the scrum, the former Springbok prop was adamant that it was not something he had coached.

"I can assure you, I have never coached that. We want to go forward, not walk around," said Human.

"Walking around is not ideal for us because it doesn't give us forward momentum, which is what we want.

"We're not perfect and things can happen, but if we see something that can be done better, we try to fix it at the very next scrum."

Human said the scrum remained a key part of South African rugby, while acknowledging that what happens inside the set piece can be difficult to interpret from the outside.

"The scrum is a very important part of our team. It's part of our culture and this country. There may be different opinions, but it's not always easy to understand what's really happening inside a scrum."

With this their final Test on home soil this year, Human said the team was determined to reward the expected crowd with a strong performance.

"It will be an amazing experience," he said.

"There were over 56,000 people at last week's Test (in Cape Town) and we could have close to 80,000 to 90,000 at the stadium this week, so we can only imagine how awesome it's going to be.

"But no matter where we play, whether it is in Verkeerdevlei (where he farms) or at the FNB Stadium, we know what we have to do. Having that many people supporting you is something to feed off because you get energy from the crowd and enjoy the moment.

"South Africa has incredible support and we don't want to disappoint our supporters. They stand behind us, and we'd like to give back to them."

Human said the Boks' preparation remained overwhelmingly focused on their own performance rather than their opponents.

"Honestly, 80 percent to 90 percent of our concentration and work is focused on ourselves, and getting better," he said.

"We need to acknowledge that they (the All Blacks) have very good backs and a strong pack of forwards. But for us, it's about improving, not just for this game but going forward."

Springbok lock Ruan Nortje, who will again partner Eben Etzebeth in the second row, echoed Human's assessment of the camp ahead of Saturday's clash.

"The vibe has been really good - I wouldn't say it's very different to last week," said Nortje.

"Every week is a Test week. In our camp, it's all about sticking to our processes and working hard during the week, and when we work, we work as hard as possible."

Nortje also highlighted the lineout as another area where the Boks are looking to improve despite being satisfied with their performance in Cape Town.

"The set pieces were good last week, but we'll never be satisfied with just good. We always want to be better," he said.

"We were happy with how the lineouts went, but this is a new week. We've put in a lot of effort working out what we want to do since Sunday, and during the week we execute it in training.

"But once one gets into the game it's about adapting, and if we're under pressure, to look at what to do differently and adjust.

"A lot of credit has to go to the coaches and players in that process. But this is a new week and a fresh challenge."

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