SA-born former Scotland prop WP Nel says playmaker Finn Russell is key to Scotland unlocking the Springbok defence when the teams clash at Murrayfield on Sunday.
Russell, who missed Scotland’s resounding victory over Fiji last week due to the Test falling outside the official window, is expected to start alongside returning fullback Blair Kinghorn against the world champions.
“Finn Russell and Blair Kinghorn are back this weekend and they will have to play a big role if Scotland want to win,” Nel was quoted on SuperSport’s SuperRugby.
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“Everything goes through Finn, and if he plays well on the day, we know the Scots can be dangerous. The biggest thing for them is to get the ball in his hands to get their outside backs such as Sione [Tuipulotu] and Duhan [van der Merwe] away.”
However, the 61-Test Nel emphasised that Scotland’s forwards must first match the South Africans physically.
“It starts upfront. If Scotland can’t match the Springboks in the forwards, then they are going to struggle to win the match,” he added.
“But it’s at the back where Scotland are very dangerous. So they need good, clean ball to operate.”
Photo: Paul Harding/Getty Images
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