Brian Moore says England’s scrum has to match the Springboks if they are to stand any chance of winning at Twickenham on Saturday.
England go into the Test with a total of 17 players unavailable due to injuries, suspension or retirement.
Moore, who played hooker for England between 1987 and 1995, wrote in his column for the Telegraph that the England pack will have to hold their own if they are to avoid a third defeat to the Boks this year.
‘Forget inventiveness and guile, England have to front up up front,’ Moore wrote. ‘If they cannot match the Springboks’ power in the set piece and elsewhere, they are in trouble.
‘They cannot afford to be badly beaten in the scrum because it would undermine their whole game. Though there are now fewer scrums, each one is an opportunity for a dominant pack to force a penalty.
‘The Bok front row of Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Frans Malherbe is powerful and performed with distinction against the All Blacks.
‘England are without their three first-choice loosehead props and thus their scrum comes into focus. That they will be under significant pressure cannot be doubted. They must hold on sufficiently to give the rest of their game a chance.’
POLL: Who will win Saturday’s Test at Twickenham?
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) October 29, 2018
Photo: Steve Haag/Getty Images
