Wilco Louw is looking forward to running out at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, his first appearance at the venue in Springbok colours since joining the Stormers from Pretoria at the end of the URC season. The prop starts alongside Boan Venter and Johan Grobbelaar in what he expects to be a demanding forward battle against a Scotland side that arrives off a strong Six Nations campaign and last weekend's win over Argentina.
"Loftus is a special place, not only for the Bulls guys but for the Boks as well," said Louw. "It's always amazing to play there."
Louw acknowledged Scotland's forward threat, pointing to their tries against Argentina as evidence of a direct, physically-driven game plan. "They have a physical pack, and one could see that from the tries they scored against Argentina — a lot of them were a result of the forwards and their direct play. It's definitely going to be a tough one, but we are prepared for that."
He singled out Scotland scrum coach Pieter de Villiers as a factor in their set-piece competence: "Pieter is a good coach, and they have proper boys in the front row and at the back."
The familiarity bred through URC competition adds an edge to the contest, though Louw insists the Boks' focus remains internal. "The URC is incredible competition and obviously one knows their guys, but our focus is on ourselves and what we want to achieve on Saturday, whether it's in the scrums or any facet of the game."
He is also expecting a personal subplot if South African-born loosehead Pierre Schoeman takes the field opposite him. "He's a good friend and an incredible rugby player — hopefully there can be a bit of chat afterwards."
On the broader question of pressure management in a Bok jersey, Louw drew on the example of the squad's most-capped forward: "It would be the same even if you ask a player like Eben, who has over 140 caps. It's about how you handle the pressure so that it doesn't get the better of you."
The Boks completed their main training block on Wednesday, take Thursday off, and hold their captain's run on Friday ahead of Saturday's 17h40 kick-off at Loftus.