Townsend has recipe for success

Scottish fly-half Gregor Townsend has a simple recipe to stop South Africa in their first Test tomorrow at King’s Park – halt Joost van der Westhuizen and the rest will follow.

Townsend has pinpointed the veteran scrum-half as the kingpin in a rough and physical, yet highly inexperienced Springbok outfit planning to take revenge for the defeat suffered by an equally inexperienced team in Edinburgh in November.

Van der Westhuizen has a new lease of life, and was the soul of the Bulls side which performed so well in the Super 12, leading by example and marshalling his young and talented Bok pack.

And this, according to Townsend, is where the South Africans need to be stopped if the Scots are to have any chance of winning the Test match.

“A lot of (the Springboks’) game revolves around him and he’s a very good player,” said Townsend.

“He’s back on top form and with all the Bulls players – which he’s marshalled well this year – in the team it is going to be a tough ask.

“He’s recovered from injury and back on top of his game, but we played really well against them in November and I believe we could have won by more in that game,” stressed Townsend.

While the Scots were keeping quiet on whether captain Bryan Redpath would be fit after a bout of flu this week, South Africa are relishing the contest.

Coach Rudolf Straeuli has already dismissed memories of Edinburgh and will want his side to kick off their first international of the new season in good style in the World Cup year.

“It is a new year, practically a new squad and different conditions. The scoreboard is 0-0,” he said.

“Saturday is not about revenge for last year’s result. Not one of the players here started in that Test match. Our focus is on the present and about laying a solid foundation for the season ahead.”

Scotland know the stakes and what they have to do. It is now simply a case of whether they have the talent and temperament to do it.

South Africa: R Loubscher; S Terblanche, A Snyman, T Halstead, A Willemse; L Koen, J van der Westhuizen; P Wannenburg, W van Heerden, H Gerber, V Matfield, B Botha, R Bands, D Coetzee, L Sephaka.

Replacements: R Kempson, C Visagie, S Boome, J Smith, C Davidson, G Bobo, J van der Westhuyzen.

Scotland: G Metcalfe (Glasgow); C Paterson (Edinburgh), A Craig (Orrell), A Henderson (Glasgow), K Logan (Wasps); G Townsend (Borders), B Redpath (Sale); S Taylor (Edinburgh), A Mower (Newcastle), J White (Sale), N Hines (Edinburgh), S Murray (Edinburgh), B Douglas (Borders), G Bulloch (Glasgow), G Kerr (Leeds).

Replacements: R Russell (Saracens), G Mcllwham (Bordeaux-Begles), J Petrie (Glasgow), M Leslie (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh), G Ross (Leeds), J McLaren (Bordeaux-Begles).