South African-born prop WP Nel expects an ‘interesting’ scrum battle between Scotland and the Springboks at Murrayfield.
Nel, who played for Western Province, Boland and the Cheetahs before joining Edinburgh in 2012, qualified to play for Scotland via the three-year residency rule.
The 32-year-old will earn his 25th Test cap on Saturday and is excited to scrum down against his compatriots.
‘It’s what rugby is all about. We know what South Africa are going to be like – big and powerful and dangerous,’ Nel told the BBC website.
‘The scrums will be interesting. Does anybody know what happens in there? Referees don’t know, definitely not. If you can paint them a good picture, they will give you the benefit of the doubt, but after that, it’s just a guessing game. To be fair, if I was a referee, I’d just be guessing too.’
PREVIEW: Scotland vs Springboks
Nel added that it will come down to whichever pack is more shrewd.
‘Both packs want to dominate and if it’s just power against power, then you go nowhere. You need to do something – you need to have a couple of tricks and hope that your tricks are better than their tricks.’
Photo: Scotland Rugby Union
