South Africa’s Respect for Scotland “Sky High,” Says Former Captain Skinstad

Former South Africa captain Bob Skinstad has characterized Murrayfield as “a difficult place to go,” asserting that the Springboks must disregard the crowd’s influence, which he terms “the 16th man.” As the Springboks prepare to visit the Scottish capital this Sunday, Skinstad anticipates they will demonstrate “sky high levels of respect” for the Scottish team. The Scots, he noted, will be eager to pose a greater challenge to the world champions than they did in their World Cup encounter last year. Speaking on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast, Skinstad stated, “You take on Scotland at home, as they proved to Fiji and to everyone who has come and played them the last couple of years, it’s a difficult place to go.” He elaborated on the home advantage, saying, “There is a big, strong contingent of home support who can shout them home like a 16th man at any time.” Skinstad added that while the Springboks acknowledge this, they also have confidence in the fact that several of their players are now integrating into the URC environment, meaning they will have previously competed against some of these Scottish players. The Scottish squad, led by Gregor Townsend, features numerous URC champions following the Glasgow Warriors’ triumph last season. This achievement, Skinstad observed, has been well-recognized and appreciated in South Africa. He further remarked, “The Warriors have knocked over the all-conquering Bulls of last season at their home patch, I think the respect levels are sky high.” Skinstad praised the development, stating, “It’s brilliant. The Warriors have done a great job off the field, as have Scottish rugby at melting the budgets of the national union as well as the budgets of the teams that are needed at creating a pool of players in Scotland, with a little bit of creative mix from players outwith Scotland, I think it’s fantastic.” He concluded by describing the situation as “a melting pot of talent, quality, experience and youth coming through and I think it will serve Scottish rugby very well for a long, long time.”