Matt Proudfoot

Former Bok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot. Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Proudfoot: The Boks have grown substantially

Former Bok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot believes the South African team have matured impressively since the 2019 World Cup final.

Matt Proudfoot

Former Bok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot. Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images/Getty Images

Proudfoot served as the Springboks’ forwards coach at the 2019 World Cup, the highlight of which was seeing the Bok pack absolutely demolish the England scrum in the final.

However, Proudfoot then opted to leave the Springbok coaching staff, ironically joining up with Eddie Jones’ England squad.

Proudfoot will undoubtedly have some decent inside knowledge into what makes the Bok team tick, but said he felt they had evolved a lot since then.

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“The players have matured, they are a lot older and wiser than when I had them, so they have grown quite substantially,” Proudfoot said. “They are a powerful pack, they have been really successful this season, to come off the back of a Lions Test series into a Rugby Championship was a tough challenge.”

Last weekend, the Springboks dominated Scotland at scrum time to lay the foundation for victory, and it will be fascinating to see how this battle unfolds against England.

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“Two passionate packs of forwards really putting their best foot forward, I think the battle for momentum starts at the scrum, whoever wins that first couple of inches at scrum time tends to be the side that wins penalties late in the game,” Proudfoot said. 

“I think that first half is going to be incredibly competitive. It is going to be about two sides being accurate and building dominance throughout the game.”

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Victory for the Springboks over a strong England team will not only see the South Africans retain the No 1 spot on the world rankings; it would also mark their first unbeaten Outgoing Tour since 2013, and wrap up a successful season for the world champions with nine victories in 13 Test matches.