The front-row matchup at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday carries an unusual degree of familiarity, with Boan Venter and Wilco Louw set to pack down against Pierre Schoeman — a man who knows both of them well.
Venter spent six seasons at Edinburgh, making 95 appearances for the club, before Rassie Erasmus called him into the Springbok setup. He will join the Lions next season. Schoeman, who played his junior rugby in Pretoria, was Venter's teammate at Edinburgh and earned his 50th cap against Argentina last weekend.
Assistant coach Duane Vermeulen says Venter is approaching the contest with particular relish. "We have a big scrumming day on Wednesday, and Boan is licking his lips — he has a lot to contribute. Boan knows quite a bit about their props, and they know quite a bit about him. The scrums should be a good battle."
Louw, who will bind directly against Schoeman, is characteristically understated about the personal element. "There's normally not a lot of talking going on — it's a bit dark in there. It's always nice to scrum against Pierre. He's a good friend and an incredible rugby player. Hopefully there can be a bit of chat afterwards, but during the game it's a big moment and a big occasion."
Louw also flagged the influence of Scottish scrum coach Pieter de Villiers, the former France and Springbok front-rower, as a significant factor. "I worked with Pieter de Villiers, and he is a proper coach. They have some proper boys in the front row. If you look at them, they are physical, and a lot of their tries against Argentina came from their physicality up front. They have a few British and Irish Lions, including Pierre. It is going to be a proper challenge, and we are prepared for that."
Vermeulen echoed that respect for the Scottish pack. "We have seen from the URC that the Scottish packs stay in the fight. Obviously we want to take them on physically, but they're well coached, and they know exactly what they want to achieve."
The Boks will also be looking for more scrum opportunities than they had against England, where their first scrum put-in came only in the 50th minute. Louw, who has a strong personal connection to Loftus from his days with the Bulls, added: "Loftus is a fortress for the Bulls and for South Africa. I have a soft spot for the Bulls; they looked after me really well when I came here after school, and recently when I returned from England."