Skinstad: Huw Jones a “world class” player, will concern South Africa

The Autumn Nations Series match between Scotland and South Africa is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November, at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, with a kick-off at 16:10 GMT. Coverage will include commentary on BBC Radio Scotland & Sounds, along with text updates on the BBC Sport website & app. Huw Jones previously played against South Africa for Scotland in last year’s World Cup. Bob Skinstad, a former captain for South Africa, believes the Springboks will approach Sunday’s game at Murrayfield with caution regarding Huw Jones. Skinstad described the Scotland player as “one of the best centres in the world.” This upcoming match occurs slightly more than a year after their World Cup pool opener in Marseille, a game where the Springboks defeated Gregor Townsend’s team before ultimately winning the trophy. Skinstad indicated that despite the significant difference in performance between the teams during that previous encounter, the South Africans will show respect for the threats Scotland presents, especially highlighting Jones. Skinstad, who earned 42 Springboks caps from 1997 to 2007, stated, “Huw Jones, for me, he’s been under-recognised as a player for a long time.” He further added, “I think Jones is probably one of the best centres in the world. I love the way he runs, I love the way he distributes. He’d fit into a South African team.” Speaking on the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast, Skinstad commented, “It’s not often that you can say, ‘let’s pick 12 of the opposition players who can fit into a world champion team’. But I would look across the Scottish guys and say they’ve certainly got a good run at eight or 10 guys who could turn out for another international team, which is fantastic.” He concluded this point by saying, “That means you’re in the top five, top six in the world, just by sheer weight of numbers of quality players.” Skinstad expressed his belief that the Glasgow Warriors players within the Scotland squad will draw confidence from their recent achievements in South Africa, which include winning the United Rugby Championship last season by defeating the Bulls in Pretoria, and beating the Stormers in Stellenbosch only two weeks prior. He also noted his admiration for the work of his former Springboks team-mate, Franco Smith, in that role. Skinstad described Smith, stating, “Franco is an interesting guy. He’s curious and he’s interested, he’s very philosophical. He’s quite big picture orientated.” He continued, “He’s very good at the detail, but he doesn’t allow it to overwhelm him. I think he’s an amazing community leader there. I think the team are warming to him because he cares.” Skinstad concluded by observing, “I think South Africans are standing up and taking notice of Glasgow Warriors. The Warriors have knocked over the all-conquering Bulls of last season at their home patch. I think the respect levels are sky high.”