6 October 2026
The Springboks used their set-piece to dismantle the All Blacks and expose major technical flaws in New Zealand's tight five during the recent series.
South Africa regularly forced crucial scrum penalties on opposition ball to break momentum and seize territorial control. The direct approach allowed the world champions to lean heavily into their traditional forward DNA.
“I watched those Tests as a fan, like the rest of everyone back here; you sort of ride the emotions of results,” returning All Blacks second-rower Scott Barrett told media on Monday. But one area in particular caught his attention: the set-piece.
Barrett believes the Boks were able to use their strength at scrum time to build pressure and create opportunities in other areas of their game.
“I think the set-piece is probably an area where they work themselves back into the game,” he said. “Critical moments, they were able to get up the field through scrum penalties on their ball, and you know their DNA.
They leaned on it and fed into other areas of their game, which is their maul, and that’s been a strength for them for a long time.”
Returning All Blacks second-rower Scott Barrett watched the series loss from home and admitted their engine room was severely exposed. The veteran lock conceded that standard defensive shapes crumbled under pressure inside the heavy collisions. The sheer physical pressure from the Springbok pack forced uncharacteristic errors across the park.
But Barrett says fixing the problems exposed by the Boks at scrum time will take much more than just a few days to sort out. The coaching staff faces immense pressure to restructure the pack's alignment before the next Test.
“It’s not until you sort of see it on the grass and you make those shifts and turn them into habits,” he said. “So, like anything, it’s not an overnight fix, and we’ll have to work pretty hard this week and going forward.”