Ahead of the series decider at FNB Stadium, George Bower is pushing back hard on the narrative that the All Blacks have been scrummaging to avoid rather than engage. The loosehead, starting his third Test of the series, argues New Zealand have used the first two matches as a learning exercise and believe their scrum has genuinely improved as a result. He's direct about the mindset: he knows the Boks view the set-piece as their primary avenue to penalties and front-foot ball, and he's not backing down from that contest. With Dave Rennie's 'walking around' comments still hanging over the build-up, Bower's framing sets the scrum battle as the defining early moment of Saturday's decider — whoever wins that first engagement, he suggests, will do the talking.
Bower wants to scrum — and says the All Blacks are coming for the Boks up front
Bower dismisses the idea that the All Blacks are scrummaging to avoid contact, arguing they've absorbed lessons from Tests one and two and are actively targeting the set-piece as a contest — with Saturday's first scrum likely to set the tone for the series decider.
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