Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys believes there is a new energy around, and appreciation for, powerful scrumming following the Springboks’ dominant performance upfront on their way to winning the Rugby World Cup in Japan last year.
Rassie Erasmus’ Bok pack dominated all-comers in 2019 and annihilated the much-vaunted England pack in the World Cup final, paving the way for their stunning victory at the tournament.
And now Redelinghuys, who will be in charge of the Lions pack in Super Rugby this year, is of the opinion that having a strong scrum is more important than any other time in the game.
“A strong and powerful scrum can swing a game... we’ve all seen it,” said Redelinghuys, who just a few years ago was considered South Africa’s top tighthead prospect. A broken neck in a Currie Cup game, however, ended the eight-time capped Bok’s career at the age of just 26 and he has now turned his focus to coaching.
“A scrum can be such a big weapon. Just look at how the Boks dominated at the World Cup. If you’re strong upfront you win penalties and gain the upperhand, and you can really get onto the front foot. It’s an energy-maker if you’re on top and an energy-sapper if you’re being dominated.
“Having a strong and dominant scrum in rugby now is massive. Winning a few big scrums at crucial times galvanises a team like nothing else.
“And I’m loving the energy the scrum has created in the game... and there’s no doubt a lot of teams watched what happened at the World Cup and will look to impose themselves at scrum time this year. We at the Lions certainly learned a lot and you can be sure we’re going to use a lot of what we saw in Japan in the coming weeks.”
The Lions of recent times have dominated the scrum battles against the other SA teams - and even pushed back several of the sides from Australia and New Zealand - and thanks to some smart close-season signings they could well continue the trend of being SA’s scrum leaders.
Veteran 37-year-old World Cup winner from 2007 Jannie du Plessis is in Johannesburg to continue his remarkable career in the colours of the Lions, while rookie 22-year-old Carlu Sadie, who was so successful for the Lions while on loan from the Stormers last season, will hope to continue his rise in South African rugby.
Redelinghuys, who in his younger days as a junior at the Sharks played under Du Plessis, could not say enough about the former Bok veteran, who arrived at the Lions after playing for Montpellier for four years.
“I’ve known Jannie for a long time; he was my mentor, my senior, at the Sharks, so I thought him joining the Lions and my being his scrum coach would be tough, but he’s been awesome,” said coach Redelinghuys, who at 30 is seven years younger than Du Plessis.
“Jannie’s got so much energy and knowledge; the youngsters hang on his every word. He’s got so much experience, and his positivity and energy are brilliant for the younger guys in our squad. He also trains harder than most and is in really great shape.”
While Redelinghuys hinted that Sadie needed to get into shape following a playing stint in France over the Christmas period, he said the powerfully-built tighthead had a bright future ahead of him and could well be the Lions’ anchor at scrum time this year.
“He’s working hard and is very motivated. He’s blessed with great physical attributes, and he’s extremely strong, but also fast and explosive... a great guy for our team,” Redelinghuys said.