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The New Zealand All Blacks edged England and then kept Ireland at arm’s length. Australia won a thriller at Twickenham before Argentina routed Italy.
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Now the double world champion Springboks take aim at Scotland with Gregor Townsend’s team the last hope for those who hold onto the belief that Europe’s best have the measure of the southern hemisphere giants.
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Scotland have not beaten South Africa since 2010 in a run that stretches across 10 Tests. They were outmuscled in their last meeting at last year’s World Cup and though they have the razzle-dazzle to cut any defensive line to shreds, it’s where cauliflowered ears meet bloodied foreheads where this game will likely be decided.
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Can Scotland front up to the Bomb Squad, as South Africa’s meaty replacements have been dubbed since their 2019 World Cup triumph? Perhaps they can. But what about a Nuclear Squad? Rassie Erasmus has named seven forwards on the bench including regular captain Siya Kolisi and the former World Player of the Year, Pieter-Steph du Toit.
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If Scotland can get enough front-foot ball for Finn Russell, and if they can handle the heft of the Boks pack, and if they can establish a large enough lead to nullify the impact of the South African bench, then maybe, possibly, they have a serious chance of a mighty upset.
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That’s a lot of ifs, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Autumn Nations Series so far it’s that we should expect the unexpected.
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How good’s international rugby at the minute!? Another cracker awaits!
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I’m at Murrayfield and I can’t wait to get going. Drop me a mail if you’ve got any thoughts you’d like to share.
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Kick-off at 4:10pm GMT.
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Teams and further updates to come.
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main events
preamble
Daniel Gallant
So far, the Rugby Championship side has dominated their Six Nations rivals.
New Zealand's All Blacks defeated England and held Ireland at arm's length. Australia previously won a thriller at Twickenham Argentina defeated Italy.
Now, the Springboks, two-time world champions, head to Scotland with Gregor Townsend's side as the last hope for those who continue to believe that Europe's strongest can match the giants of the southern hemisphere.
Scotland have not beaten South Africa in 10 Tests since 2010. In their previous encounter at last year's World Cup, they were outmatched due to strength, and although they have a glare that can tear any defensive line to shreds, in this place where cauliflower ears collide with bloody foreheads. , which will probably decide the outcome of this match.
With South Africa's strong replacements having been named since their 2019 World Cup victory, can Scotland stand up to the bomb squad? Probably you can. But what about the nuclear forces? Coach Rassie Erasmus placed seven forwards on the bench, including regular captain Siya Kolisi and former world player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit.
If Scotland can get enough front-foot ball to Finn Russell, cope with the mass weight of the boxers, and establish a sufficient lead to negate the influence of South Africa's bench, perhaps , perhaps they will. There is a serious possibility of a big upset.
There are a lot of assumptions here, but if there's one thing we've learned from the Autumn Nations series so far, it's that you should expect the unexpected.
How strong is international rugby now? Another cracker awaits!
I'm at Murrayfield and can't wait to leave. If you have thoughts you would like to share, please send us an email.
Kickoff is 4:10pm Japan time.
More updates to come with the team.
