Frans Malherbe praises growth of Springbok pack

Frans Malherbe has praised the growth of the Springbok pack as a unit in the last few weeks and said the concerted effort from the players and coaches to learn from one another was one of the main contributing factors to their improvement from the first to the second Tests in the British & Irish Lions series.

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Malherbe will start at tighthead in the Springbok front row alongside Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) and Steven Kitshoff (loosehead) in Saturday’s series decider with the trio packing down against props Wyn Jones and Tadgh Furlong, and hooker Ken Owens.

Jones and Owens take over from Mako Vunipola and Luke Cowan-Dickie in the two changes among the visitors’ forward pack.

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And while Malherbe showed great respect for the opposition, he said the Springbok front rowers were on the right track as they continue to form an even stronger bond on and off the field.

“We’ve grown a lot as a pack and credit to the back five, who have bought into our plan and who generates the power in the scrums,” said Frans Malherbe.

“We are learning a lot from one another and working together to make the team better.

“When I came off the field on Saturday and saw the impact the forwards made off the bench, I was very satisfied.”

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Commenting on the changes the Lions made in their front row for the third and final Test between the sides, Malherbe said: “All the British & Irish Lions props are world class players, but we have to focus on ourselves and our preparation and ensure that we are 100% ready for the weekend.

“If you look at the impact the bench made last week, we are all on the same level, so even though they may have made changes, it doesn’t change much in our preparation.”

Frans Malherbe spoke highly of the influence the Springbok coaching unit has had on the strong cohesion within the team.

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“As a coaching team everyone has their department that they specialise in so there is a system in place, and all the players trust that system,” said Frans Malherbe.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Daan (Human, Bok scrum coach) and Deon (Davids, Bok lineout coach) since they joined the team.

“Daan is very passionate about scrums and I love it when a coach gets everyone excited to scrum. Deon is equally passionate and his attention to detail in the lineouts is one of his main strengths.”

The match kicks off at 18:00 at the Cape Town Stadium.

TEAMS:

South Africa

15, Willie le Roux, 14, Cheslin Kolbe, 13. Lukhanyo Am, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Makazole Mapimpi, 10. Handré Pollard, 9. Cobus Reinach, 8. Jasper Wiese, 7. Franco Mostert, 6. Siya Kolisi (captain), 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Steven Kitshoff

Substitutes: 16. Malcolm Marx, 17. Trevor Nyakane, 18. Vincent Koch, 19. Marco van Staden, 20. Kwagga Smith, 21. Herschel Jantjies, 22. Morné Steyn, 23. Damian Willemse

British & Irish Lions

15. Liam Williams (Wales), 14. Josh Adams (Wales), 13. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), 12. Bundee Aki (Ireland), 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), 10. Dan Biggar (Wales), 9. Ali Price (Scotland), 8. Jack Conan (Ireland), 7. Tom Curry (England), 6. Courtney Lawes (England), 5. Alun Wyn Jones (captain – Wales), 4. Maro Itoje (England), 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), 2. Ken Owens (Wales), 1. Wyn Jones (Wales)

Substitutes: 16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), 17. Mako Vunipola (England), 18. Kyle Sinckler (England), 19. Adam Beard (Wales), 20. Sam Simmonds (England), 21. Conor Murray (Ireland), 22. Finn Russell (Scotland), 23. Elliot Daly (England)