Du Toit warns All Blacks scrum will bounce back despite Ellis Park battering

South Africa tighthead prop Thomas du Toit has cautioned that the All Blacks’ scrum will be a far sterner challenge in the second Test against the Springboks in Cape Town, despite New Zealand’s front row enduring a punishing first hour at Ellis Park in Johannesburg last weekend.

Dave Rennie’s side secured the win in the opening match of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, but their scrum was repeatedly penalised for the first 60 minutes, with only their replacement props able to arrest the damage. South Africa’s own substitute props, meanwhile, failed to replicate the destruction caused by starters Ox Nche and Wilco Louw.

Rassie Erasmus has responded to that drop-off by recalling Du Toit to the bench for Cape Town, having preferred Zachary Porthen in the first Test. Du Toit is expected to provide the same scrummaging continuity as Louw when introduced from the replacements.

Despite that tactical shift in his favour, Du Toit was measured in his assessment of the contest ahead, pointing to the All Blacks’ midweek outing against the Lions as a sign that New Zealand had already begun addressing their set-piece issues.

“Look at the Lions game — you could definitely see they’ve been working on it and it’s going well for them,” Du Toit said. “We’ll do our best, but it’s something both teams pride themselves on.”

New Zealand’s front row also faces a personnel reshuffle heading into the second Test. George Bower comes into the starting lineup after Ethan de Groot’s injury, with two-cap Xavier Numia named on the bench.

Du Toit was clear that last week’s scrummaging dominance carries no weight on Saturday. “Things can change so quickly within a week,” he said. “Coming off the bench it’s not just about staying at the same tempo that the starting guys deliver — it’s about trying to lift that and increase it. Those players did very well last week, but that doesn’t count for anything this week.”

“We need to rectify the mistakes we made and try to build on that dominance, knowing that it starts from the ground up. No points are carried over. It starts all over again.”