Springbok scrum coach Daan Human, commonly known as the "Scrum Doctor," reaffirmed his core philosophy on Monday, stating, "You can never have enough props," while emphasising that any player, whether 20 or 35 years old, will play if they are good enough.
“I think experience-wise, going into a World Cup, experience does lead us in making decisions, but still, the main thing must be how he is playing in the moment. Showing in training that he can handle it physically and technically, then there’s no problem.
“We make sure in practice that we can see who can hang in there and who can stand up. That tells you a lot.”
Human’s coaching approach combines a "ruthless" training environment with a focus on building deep, interchangeable talent to maintain South Africa's status as the world's most dominant scrumming unit.
Players often find Human's live scrumming sessions tougher than actual Test matches. This "stress test" process is designed to ensure that even third- and fourth-choice options are fully prepared for the rigours of international rugby.
“Nowadays, there are a lot of games in a year, and it’s vital to grow your player group and the more guys you can get ready and fit in with the way we’re doing things, the better for us.
Human spoke highly of versatile Stormers youngster Zach Porthen, who made his Test debut last November and has been earmarked as a potential swing prop.
“He’s played both loosehead and tighthead for us. It’s about how you build it around him and give him the right opportunity. He’s done well so far, which I’m very grateful for. He just needs to get on the field consistently.”
Frans Malherbe, who was invited to the Springbok Training camp, has been sidelined by a back injury since April last year, but is still seen by Human as a critical part of theSpringbok's World Cup 2027 onslaught.
“He’s got a lot to offer, I can promise you that. He’s been resting and dealing with injury, but last year, other guys like Thomas and Wilco got opportunities and took them. That’s how you grow depth.
“You can never have enough props. If a player is 20 or 35 and he’s good enough, he’ll play.”