Italy may be ranked 10th in the world, but the Bok duo expected a tough encounter against the visitors this weekend, especially given their emphasis on the scrums and the quality of their rugby in general.
“Unlike the Barbarians, who do not play regularly, Italy do, so we will be facing a proper Test team on Saturday,” said Human.
“The one thing about the Springboks is that we do not underestimate any side, and we know that Italy are very focused on their forward play, so it will be a proper Test match.”
Human elaborated on Italy’s performances this season and in the set pieces: “They were very competitive in their first two Six Nations matches, and they have a 93% scrum completion rate, which says a lot about that area of their game.
“They also won four scrum penalties and got a penalty try against Namibia, who had a few players who have played in Rugby World Cups before, so we certainly respect them as a team.
“We are not sure who they will play in the pack this weekend, but we know it will be a good contest.”
Wessels, one of the Boks’ try-scorers against the BaaBaas, spoke equally highly of the opposition: “I faced Zebre Parma and Benetton in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and we did our homework on those players then, so we know the emphasis they place on the scrums.
“In fact, Zebre Parma had one of their best seasons this year and beat a few big teams in the competition, so we are expecting a proper battle against them.”
Wessels goes over for his try against the Barbarians.
Zoning in on what the Springboks want to achieve up front, Wessels said: “We want to go into this match setting a high standard for ourselves. We have massive respect for all the teams we face, and knowing how strong their scrums are, we really want to make a big impact in the set pieces.”
With Wessels equally adept at playing prop and hooker, he said he doesn’t mind which role he has to fill when he takes the field.
“I don’t have a preference,” said Wessels. “I just want to contribute wherever I am picked, and as much as I feel for Gerhard (Steenekamp) when he got injured, having to play both positions certainly helped me in getting game time at prop and hooker.”
Commenting on the time he spent with Human on his farm in the Free State working on his scrummaging, Wessels admitted that although it was tough, it benefited his game.
“We had a break during the Vodacom URC, and my parents live in Bloemfontein, so Daan offered to help me grow in that role,” said Wessels. “It’s the small things that make one a better player, and although it was tough, I really enjoyed it.”
Asked what the key focus areas were while working with Wessels and Asenathi Ntlabakanye on the farm, Human said: “Our focus was firstly to ensure that they are conditioned to scrum well, and we also worked on the fundamentals of scrummaging.
“I’ve always said you do not scrum against a machine on the field, so we try to use techniques to make the players better scrummagers in general.”
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his matchday squad for the match on Tuesday. The encounter kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. Tickets for the Test are available from Ticketmaster.
