Italy's growing stature has Boks on high alert ahead of Loftus showdown

While the Baabaas were hastily assembled and struggled to gel in the slippery conditions at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, the Italians are a much more close-knit outfit who are coming off some encouraging results in this year's Six Nations.

No longer the pushovers they once were, the Boks are well aware they can't afford to take the Azzurri lightly, as they now boast a solid pack and some dangerous and exciting backline stars.

"Unlike the Barbarians, who do not play regularly, Italy do, so we will be facing a proper Test team on Saturday," Springbok assistant coach Daan Human told reporters on Monday.

"They were very competitive in their first two Six Nations matches, and they have a 93% scrum completion rate, which says a lot about that area of their game.

"They also won four scrum penalties and got a penalty try against Namibia, who had a few players who have played in Rugby World Cups before, so we certainly respect them as a team.

"The one thing about the Springboks is that we do not underestimate any side, and we know that Italy are very focused on their forward play, so it will be a proper Test match."

Also fronting up to the media on Monday was Jan-Hendrik Wessels, who enjoyed another solid outing for the Boks after coming on as a replacement against the Baabaas.

Having played against many of the Italian players in the recent United Rugby Championship, he is well aware of the threat they pose.

"I faced Zebre Parma and Benetton in the URC, and we did our homework on those players then, so we know the emphasis they place on the scrums," said the utility forward.

"In fact, Zebre Parma had one of their best seasons this year and beat a few big teams in the competition, so we are expecting a proper battle against them.

"We want to go into this match setting a high standard for ourselves. We have massive respect for all the teams we face, and knowing how strong their scrums are, we really want to make a big impact in the set pieces."

Wessels has proven equally adept at playing prop and hooker but insists he doesn't mind which role he has to fill when he takes the field.

"I don't have a preference," he said. "I just want to contribute wherever I am picked, and as much as I feel for Gerhard (Steenekamp) when he got injured, having to play both positions certainly helped me in getting game time at prop and hooker."

Asked about the time he spent with Human on his farm in the Free State working on his scrummaging, Wessels admitted that although it was tough, it definitely benefited his game.

"We had a break during the URC, and my parents live in Bloemfontein, so Daan offered to help me grow in that role," said Wessels. "It's the small things that make one a better player, and although it was tough, I really enjoyed it.

"Our focus was firstly to ensure that they are conditioned to scrum well, and we also worked on the fundamentals of scrummaging.

"I've always said you do not scrum against a machine on the field, so we try to use techniques to make the players better scrummagers in general."

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his matchday squad for Saturday's clash on Tuesday afternoon.

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