The Springboks are looking to improve on their impressive winning record at Loftus by beating Scotland on Saturday.
The Springboks will be looking to improve on their impressive performance at their fortress of Loftus Versfeld when they face Scotland in Pretoria on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:40pm), according to defender Kanan Moody.
In 42 matches at the stadium since the Boks’ first game in 1955, they have won 33 and lost nine. Since rugby turned professional in 1995, they have lost to the All Blacks on ground only five times, most recently in 2018.
The Boks have won their last six games at the stadium, including an impressive victory over Ireland in 2024, while they were pushed hard by Italy last year before achieving a comfortable result.
Nine Bulls players were also named in the 23 Bok match, including Moody, and he admitted they will be looking to use their experience on the ground and at height to give them an edge over the Scots.
“Loftus is a fortress that we want to protect. It’s the same with the Bulls, but also with the Springbok, where we have a good Springbok history,” Moody said at a Springbok press conference this week.
“The height is real, but it’s also about how you play. You want the visitors to feel the height through the pressure you apply according to your game plan.”
“You have to be really confrontational and put pressure on them in everything you do so they feel like height matters. At the end of the game they have to feel like they were playing against a South African team.”
Well prepared
Looking at the match, Moody said they will be well prepared for whatever Scotland bring to the table, which will be carried out by their midfield wizard Finn Russell.
“We’re well prepared for high balls. They have different tactics, but we’ve been doing it for years, so we trust our system and just take away where we can,” Moody explained.
“Every team has their own tactics. We’ve adapted by staying true to what worked for us and we’ll execute our plan. If it doesn’t work and they come up with something different, we’ll adapt.”
Adding a bit of spice to the clash is that the Boks’ Bulls contingent will face a large contingent of Scotland’s Glasgow Warriors following last month’s URC semi-final, which was won by Pretoria in Edinburgh.
“A lot of their players are from Glasgow Warriors and quite a few of our guys are from the Bulls, so there’s some recent history with the URC semi-final between the sides,” admitted Moody.