The state of the Cape Town Stadium surface and the new ‘brake foot’ rule hasn’t deterred Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff from revving up to attack the Wales scrum on Saturday.
The turf has always been an issue for rugby teams at the 2010 Fifa World Cup venue as competing front rows have struggled to maintain their footing at the scrums, with the grass ripped up relentlessly.
And it was no different in 2022 as the Stormers pack faced off against all-comers on their homeground over a memorable season that culminated in the Capetonians being crowned Vodacom United Rugby Championship winners.
Speaking at a Bok conference on Wednesday, 60-Test-cap Kitshoff – who led the Stormers to URC glory last month – is hopeful that the scrums won’t be affected by conditions after several days of heavy rainfall.
“We haven’t played a game there in three or four weeks,” the veteran loosehead said.
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“I’m not 100% sure what the surface looks like at the moment, but in the URC it was a bit slippery, and certain areas of the field weren’t in great shape. We were promised by the groundskeepers there that they would fix up the surface, and hopefully, it holds up nicely this weekend.
“Wales has a good set piece and scrum. I think that’s going to be a tough battle, and hopefully both teams can have a full go at each other.”
Set for another shift as part of the formidable Bok Bomb Squad on Saturday, Kitshoff also highlighted the importance of the front rows adapting to the new rule that is being enforced.
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“With the brake foot, you could see there were a lot of free kicks and penalties in Bloemfontein,” he said.
“It was a big focus for us today at training when we did our scrummaging for the hookers to find a comfortable way they can engage over their foot, or put their foot in a good position.
“It is a new law, and I think the referees have brought it in for player safety and welfare. It’s something we have to adapt to quite quickly but, hopefully, we can find a positive way around it where we can still get that good hit and have a powerful scrum.”
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