Vincent Koch expects the scrum to play a defining role when the Sharks face the Lions in Saturday’s Vodacom URC derby at Ellis Park, writes LINDIZ VAN ZILLA.
South African teams dominate the URC scrum statistics, with the Vodacom Bulls leading the way. The men from Pretoria have won 65 scrums and lost just two for a 97% success rate, while also forcing 28 scrum penalties in their 10 matches to date.
The Sharks rank third overall, behind Edinburgh, with 69 scrums won and four lost for a 95% success rate. They have also earned 32 scrum penalties – the second-most in the competition behind the Stormers’ 38. The Cape side, however, sit ninth overall in terms of scrum efficiency.
The Lions are sixth, having won 64 scrums and lost just three (96%), while earning 11 scrum penalties.
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Koch emphasised that both the Sharks and Lions know the value of scrum dominance in tight South African derbies.
“It’s going to be nothing less than a massive battle up front,” he said. “We’re focusing on us and there’s still a lot to build on in our own scrum. We’ve been working hard the last few days on that.
“If you look at their personnel, they’ve got unbelievable players in there. They’re scrumming together as a pack, it’s not just about the individual.”
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Koch also hailed the impact of Lions scrum coach and former Bok prop Julian Redelinghuys.
“Julian was an unbelievable scrummager. He was one of South Africa’s best tightheads, so he knows how important the scrum is and what it means to the rest of the players, especially the backs. If you get a reward at the scrums, it’s easy for them [the backs] to just play on that advantage.”
Koch said teams have learned from the Springboks how a dominant scrum can “give the rest of the team so much energy” and “help you play the way you want”.
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He admitted the Sharks still need to improve their discipline at scrum time.
“We gave away a few soft penalties in the last couple of weeks. We want to be a dominant pack for 80 minutes, and that’s something we’re working on.”
Photo: Steve Haag Sports/Gallo Images