Bower: We want to challenge Bok scrum

All Blacks prop George Bower is relishing another scrum shootout with the Springboks at FNB Stadium on Saturday. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports.

Bower does not do false modesty when the subject is the scrum. Fronting the media in Sandton on Thursday afternoon, the All Blacks loosehead prop lit up the moment the topic turned to the set-piece, talking with the energy of a man who has waited his whole career for a fight this good.

“Oh, I love to scrum. I want to scrum,” Bower said, batting away any suggestion that New Zealand would rather avoid a physical contest up front.

“I know South Africa pride themselves on the scrum, they see it as their avenue to get penalties and get their game going, moving up the field. But for us too, you can see from Test one our mindset around the scrum is right up there as well.

“We want to challenge them, and I know my back five want to scrum too.”

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There is no shortage of respect for the opposition. Bower called the Springboks “one of the best scrummaging teams in the world” and admitted the two Tests so far have been a puzzle New Zealand are still working to solve.

“It’s been pretty good because we’ve tried to find solutions and elevate our scrum to another level.

“There’s been a lot of talk around both sides of the scrum, but it comes down to that first scrum. We’ll see what does the talking.”

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Bower broke down the Springbok scrum in detail, describing a pack built to unsettle rather than simply push.

“South Africa’s front rowers love to scrum direct, and the angles can change all of a sudden,” he said. “You have to be really connected as a front row because you never know which way the scrum is going to go.

“That’s pretty much the DNA of their scrum. When the angles change like that, momentum can shift in an instant.”

His answer to that threat is unglamorous but pointed: connection, tightness and technique.

“For us as a pack, we just have to focus on our connection and tightness, our brace and our set, and hopefully that nullifies what the South Africans bring this weekend.”

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Bower was equally blunt about where Test rugby is actually won.

“We just have to match what they do. Mirror them, I guess. But it starts way before that, on winning the collision and winning the set-piece, which is huge.

“The team that does that shows dominance and probably gets the rub of the green from the ref, so winning the collision is the main thing for both sides.”

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At 34, Bower is not shy about the years on the clock either, though he insists they are working in his favour.

“I’ve been telling myself I’m getting a bit older, but a wise man [scrum coach Jason Ryan] once told me people reach their prime strength at 38,” he quipped.

“I’ve changed the language and focused more on being experienced and channelling that into my game. I’m able to see pitches a bit better now because of experience, and come up with solutions a bit more.

“It’s all working into a nice little puzzle. Ageing like fine wine, hopefully all the way to 38.”

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Bower was chatty about the man alongside him in the front row, hooker Asafo Aumua, describing him as a “raging bull”.

“It’s good to have him in the hooking department with me. You’ve seen the way he’s played, his explosiveness, how powerful and strong he is, how hard he keeps working. I’m looking forward to seeing him get a start this weekend and lock down the scrums.”

Pressed on whether that explosiveness could hurt South Africa early, Bower didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, 100%. You can see it in his intent, his actions, his carries and his tackles. He can really spark a light for the boys. That’s definitely a strength of his.”

Talk, as Bower himself put it, only goes so far. On Saturday, the first scrum will do the rest.

Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images

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