Marler: Nobody scrums like the Boks
Today at 04:56 AM
Recently retired former England prop Joe Marler has delivered a candid assessment of the Springbok pack ahead of the clash with the world champions at Twickenham on Saturday.
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Marler emphasized the need for England to embrace an “old-school” mindset to match the physicality of the Springboks.
Marler, who retired from Test rugby ahead of the Autumn Nations Series, fronted the formidable Bok pack at the 2019 World Cup final in Yokohama and 2023 World Cup semi-final in Paris.
"England will have to be right on the money at Twickenham to make a difference," Marler wrote. "If I was in camp this week, I'd be asking Steve Borthwick if we could scrum Monday and spend the whole of Tuesday on maul and brawl."
Known for his colourful personality and blunt views, Marler highlighted the Springboks’ unrivalled strength in the set-piece, urging England to focus on physical preparation rather than conserving energy.
"You have Wednesday off. Fine. Thursday it's forget the science and ignore the GPS data and crack on with the old-school: mauling, brawling, scrummaging," he suggested.
Marler acknowledged the counterarguments about keeping players fresh but dismissed them when facing the Springboks' pack, which he described as “the number one in the world.”
“It's not like any other scrum, when you're up against the Boks. If it goes wrong, they feed you into the mangle. And so it's a powerful feeling to be engulfed by, this intense mixture of scared and excited and fearful.
"They're coming to our patch, and they're coming for a bar brawl. Let's get the mindset right and take it dark and deep," he said.
Despite the daunting challenge posed by the South African forwards, Marler pointed out that cracking the Springboks’ renowned power game could have a transformative impact on the match.
While acknowledging that South Africa has a Plan B, Marler argued that it's not as instinctive or effective as their primary strategy.
"They're so used to their power game working that when Plan A stalls, it takes them a while to adjust. And while they do have a Plan B, it's not as good. It's not part of their DNA. It's no longer their soul," he concluded.
Photo: Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty Images
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