Scrum under scrutiny as Daan Human stands by Springbok methods

With the set-piece becoming one of the major talking points of the series, Human says his focus has always been on developing a technically sound scrum that moves forward rather than relying on methods that could be considered illegal.

The controversy intensified after the opening Test and continued into the second match in Cape Town, where New Zealand questioned aspects of the Springboks’ scrummaging. Human says while mistakes can happen, his players are expected to stay within the laws.

"We always try one hundred percent to do it by the book, that's the way we've been brought up. I can't ever cheat or tell the players to walk around - we never work like that. I can assure you one thing, we will work even harder in order to be precise in what we're doing. We always aim for legal, straightforward dominance."

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South Africa won the second Test 33-26 to level the four-match series, setting up another significant battle at scrum time when the teams meet at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has raised his concerns with World Rugby, particularly around the Boks’ movement at scrum time, while Rassie Erasmus has strongly rejected the suggestion that South Africa deliberately bends the laws.

"If you say we walk around, then we've been walking around for the past six years ever since I've been part of Springbok rugby. Sometimes one thing cause another thing to happen, and it might happen. We are not perfect but we're striving to be perfect.

"We need to adapt to the referee and how he sees things and if he addresses some things we can improve on then we will try in the very next scrum to do it better. I can promise you one thing I've never coached walking around because it's not ideal for us."

Human has also weighed in on the debate surrounding the scrum’s “brake foot”, a law designed to help reduce excessive pressure on the necks of front-row players during the engagement.

The Springbok scrum coach says the measure is important from a player-safety perspective, but believes consistency remains essential when referees police the requirement.

Human adds he still sees instances where players’ heads end up on opponents’ shoulders, highlighting the difficulty of managing the technical details of the set-piece in real time.

Deon Fourie has added another layer of experience to the Springbok pack, becoming the oldest player to represent South Africa in a Test when he started against New Zealand in Cape Town at the age of 39 years and 338 days.

Fourie’s selection was part of a late front-row reshuffle by Erasmus, and the veteran hooker and loose forward played 35 minutes in the 33-26 victory. He now returns to the replacements bench for Saturday’s third Test.