Jason Ryan’s blunt assessment of the Springboks’ scrum ahead of first Test

All Blacks assistant coach Jason Ryan has given Rassie Erasmus and the Springboks all of the credit ahead of the first Test in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour, labelling their scrum “the best in the world”.

Ryan, who has now travelled to South Africa under head coaches Ian Foster, Scott Robertson, and now Dave Rennie, will be preparing his forward pack for one of rugby’s biggest challenges at Ellis Park in Johannesburg this weekend.

The All Blacks scrum, after two patchy performances against both the Stormers and Sharks, improved against the Bulls, winning multiple penalties in the first half.

Xavier Numia and Tyrel Lomax earned a couple of scrum penalties, before both Siale Lauaki and George Bower held down their sides of the scrum after entering the field in the second half.

Ryan explained that his side’s aware of the challenge at scrum time, but believes his forward pack have taken the necessary steps to combat their strength.

“I think we took a step forward tonight [against the Bulls], I really do,” Ryan told Justin Marshall on Sky Sport.

“We’ve worked really hard in the last two weeks as a pack around our reaction time and maul defence, getting set if we’re going to have a crack in the air, we’ll stay down, and getting a really good platform for our scrum.

“You know, we know, and we will acknowledge this week that they are the best in the world [at scrum time]. The Springboks, they are, and we’ll acknowledge that.

“But we’ll also acknowledge that we should hit this game with some confidence.”

Another aspect that will be heavily contested is the breakdown, where Anton Segner and Peter Lakai both claimed steals against the Bulls in Pretoria.

“I think defensively we made some good decisions on when we were going to hunt and when we were going to stay on our feet and go through,” the All Blacks forwards coach said.

“I think the attacking side of the breakdown, we’re missing a few inside cleans, so we’ve got a little bit of work to do there as we head into next week. First-phase turnovers for the Springboks are exceptional, so work to do.

“But yeah, there’s some progress. We’ve got a taste of it. I think we were probably on our heels a bit in a couple of patches in the Stormers game, but we knew today that the Bulls team are renowned for what they do.

“They’ve got a good balance of width and carrying, around the corner and get that run on. So I think we’ve embraced that, and I think we’re in a good spot.”