Gavin Rich's Loftus preview centres on one clear tactical warning: Scotland's most dangerous weapon is momentum, and they'll hunt an early score to replicate what they did to England and France in the Six Nations. Russell's return to the Scottish backline — alongside Tuipulotu and Steyn — gives them genuine world-class firepower from 9 to 14, and Rich flags that the Bok starting XV, heavy with physical presence but less mobile than the bench finishers, could be vulnerable in those opening exchanges if Scotland get quick ruck ball and shift it wide.
That said, Rich's broader argument is that Scotland's up-tempo ambition may be self-defeating on the highveld — sensible game management at altitude is a different proposition, as the Boks themselves found out against Australia in Johannesburg last year. The Bulls-heavy Bok pack that dismantled Glasgow in the URC semi suggests the set piece will be a grinding asset, and the historical record — Scotland 0 from 7 on South African soil, Boks outscoring them more than 2-to-1 — supports the view that the Scots tend to threaten early and fade. Rich sees this as a useful dress rehearsal for the All Blacks series, with Erasmus stress-testing his second-string combinations against a team that plays a similar wide, fast game to what Rennie's New Zealand are building. Prediction: Boks by 15–20.