Vodacom Bulls international Wilco Louw has one eye on a return to the national team and believes there will still be a chance for the Springboks to dominate their rivals under rugby rule changes.
Last week, World Rugby approved a series of legal changes that will come into effect from July 1, 2024, targeting key areas such as kick offsides, free-kick options and player welfare issues.
Among the changes are that teams will no longer have the option to scrum from free kicks, highlighting the importance of keeping the ball moving.
The change has been interpreted as an attempt to limit the influence of the scrum in international matches, especially as it comes after the Boks used set-pieces as a weapon to successfully defend their World Cup title in South Africa last year.
Speaking at the Bulls’ conference preparation for their Pretoria clash with Benetton at the Vodacom URC on Saturday, Louw stressed that the strong front row would not be denied the opportunity to do battle between the white lines.
“There will still be knocks in the game. They’re not going to get rid of Scrum completely. That’s just one of the things they’ve tried to change,” he told reporters.
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“But I think he will have plenty of opportunity to make a name for himself in the scrum.
“Teams will still have opportunities because they won’t have fewer chain attacks in the game. We just need to make better use of the opportunity.
“We used to be able to use scrum more and use it more as a weapon, but now we have to pick our battles because there is less scrum.
“But you can still stamp your authority if you take advantage of the opportunity.”
Louw won the last of his 14 Test caps in 2019, and his focus for the Bulls is part of a larger goal to prepare once again for the reigning world champions.
Thanks to several outstanding achievements, the 29-year-old Scrum Plow was summoned to the Bok Workshop in March.
“We looked at the bigger picture of where we are and where the Springboks want to be,” he said.
“There’s still a lot of rugby left, but like I said, it will always be a big dream and a privilege to get back there.
“If you play good rugby for the union and enjoy it, the opportunity is there.”
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
