Bruising midfield battleground in Boks’ clash with Scots

André Esterhuizen runs the rule over Scotland’s dynamic centres before SA kicking off their end-of-year tour in Edinburgh

André Esterhuizen expects the midfield to be a bruising battleground when the Springboks take on Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

The Boks kick off their end-of-year tour in Edinburgh against a team that boasts one of the game'srugby’s most dynamic and talked-about centre pairings in Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.

The pair has not just been a destructive force for Scotland but central in the rise of Glasgow Warriors to the elite of the United Rugby Championship. “They are a great centre pairing,” said Esterhuizen, who also ranks as a midfield colossus.

“We've watched many games of them tearing up defences in the international set-up and for Glasgow. Two great players. I played with Huw for a few years at Harlequins, I know him quite well. Tuipulotu is a great player in his distribution, he is hard to run at and he is a hard carrier as well. It’s going to be a good battle in midfield.”

The midfield is, however, not the only area in which Scotland will pose awkward questions of the Springboks. Head coach Gregor Townsend has forged a well-rounded team that is as adept in open play as it is at close combat. The coach also brings a bit of X-factor. “He’s a great attacking coach,” acknowledged Esterhuizen.

“He's always innovative. There’s always a surprise line-out, a quick throw, a dummy here. I think he has expanded their way of attacking. He’s brought a new element into their play.”

There’s the expectation Scotland will be a tougher nut to crack than the one to which the Boks applied the squeeze in Marseille at the start of last year’s Rugby World Cup. “It’s going to be a tough game,” said Esterhuizen.

“The game in the World Cup wasn’t a walk in the park. It was a battle. We came in at half time 6-3. You can always expect a tough battle against them. It is going to get messy in and around the breakdowns. We always look forward to playing against them.”

The Boks negotiated that hurdle early in the World Cup, which proved a confidence booster that helped set them on their way for bigger battles later in the tournament. Though they lost to Ireland in their pool B decider, the Boks won the matches that mattered en route to the trophy. When the mood grabs them they are a devilishly difficult team to beat.

Esterhuizen relishes being part of a set-up in which inner belief resides. “One day you can be on top of the world, and the next day you could lose to anyone. Yes, it is good to have confidence and a bit of an aura, but any team in the top 10 could probably beat you on any given day. That's rugby — the ball is not round. Every week we focus on being the best we can be that week, and strive to be better.

“There’s fight in the team. A lot of people say it’s luck, this and that, but the South African players’ mindset is: if we are down and out, we are going to keep fighting to the end.”