Latest news with #DaanHuman
The Citizen
19 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Italy will be a proper test for the Boks, says scrum boss Human
Springbok scrum guru Daan Human is expecting a big scrum challenge from a more settled Italian team at Loftus on Saturday. Springbok scrum coach Daan Human is expecting a big challenge from the Italian forward pack in their match at Loftus on Saturday. Picture: OJ Koloti/Gallo Images The Springboks are preparing for a big scrum challenge when they take on Italy, according to Bok scrum guru Daan Human, in their first Test of the incoming series at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The Boks opened their international season with a powerful 54-7 win over famed invitational side the Barbarians in Cape Town over the weekend, and now take on the Italians twice, before closing out the incoming tour with a match against Georgia. Human said they were expecting a bigger challenge from Italy than what they faced against the BaaBaas, especially in the scrums, due to them being a more settled team that plays regularly. 'I think the big difference is the Barbarians aren't playing week in and week out. So you can't do much analysis on them and they also aren't together very long, so they don't have a chance to gel,' explained Human. 'This week we are playing a proper Test team in Italy, who play regularly, so we can do even more homework on them. 'The one thing about us as 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.' Despite being ranked 10th on the world rugby rankings, Human pointed to Italy's solid early form in the Six Nations earlier this year, and their thumping 76-3 win over tier two nation Namibia over the past weekend, that they would pose a challenge to the Boks. Competitive Six Nations '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,' said Human. 'There is definitely some stuff we can take out of that (Namibia) game, because about 80% of those players we will be facing this weekend. They also won four scrum penalties and got a penalty try. 'I also know the guys who played for Namibia, there is a lot of experience in the front row. Some of those guys have been to three World Cups, like Aranos Coetzee and Chucky (Louis van der Westhizen). 'So they (Namibia) are still a proper side and I will take anything I can use to prepare us for (what is to come from) Italy.' Even though the Boks looked relatively untroubled during their impressive win over the BaaBaas, especially with their dominant forward performance, Human admitted there was plenty to take out of it, especially for the more inexperienced players. 'We learned a lot. As I explained in our review now to the players, especially for the new guys like Asenathi (Ntlabakanye), Marnus (van der Merwe), and even Jan-Hendrik (Wessels), who has only three caps, it was a big learning for them,' said Human. 'I had a lekker chat with their (Barbarians) scrum coach, who is the head coach at Racing Metro, and he said that both their tightheads were rated number one and two in the French league this season. So I think there is a lot we can gain from that experience going forward.'
The South African
20 hours ago
- Climate
- The South African
What weather can Springbok fans expect at Loftus?
As the Springboks prepare for their first Test of the year against Italy at Loftus, the good news for spectators is that far more favourable weather conditions are expected compared to what was seen in Cape Town this past weekend for the Barbarians game. According to the ever reliable WindGuru website, Saturday looks set to be a pearler of a day, with temperatures rising to a peak of 19°C just prior to kick off (which is at 17:10). There are expected to be clear skies all day and hardly any wind to speak of as the Springboks look to enjoy home ground advantage at altitude. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said that the team were looking forward to the drier conditions that can be expected in Pretoria on Saturday. 'Some of the half gaps and some of the line breaks we made would have stuck if the weather had been drier' he said. 'We can't wait to play on a dry pitch and improve on our attack. 'We want to get better, the next three matches we'll be trying to focus on us before we hit the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.' Italy may be ranked 10th in the world, but the Springboks expect 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 assistant coach Daan 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.' Erasmus will name his matchday squad for the match on Tuesday. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
21 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
The doctor is in: Human and Springboks step up to full Test mode for set-piece battle against Italy
After bashing the ill-prepared Barbarians last week in a friendly, the Springboks have switched into full Test-match mode, and scrum coach Daan Human says it will be a different ball game against the Azzurri in Pretoria on Saturday. The scary thing is that Human believes the Boks will go up a level from their 54-7 romp in the rain last week. 'The big difference is that the Baabaas don't play regularly," said Human on Monday in Johannesburg, "so we had to look at them as individuals. "This week we play a proper Test match team and we can do much more homework. That is the big difference, and having had our opening match, there is now stuff we can work on.'
IOL News
6 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
'Kamp Daandraad': How Springboks' Asenathi Ntlabakanye lost 18kg a few weeks
Springboks prop Asenathi Ntlabkanye lost about 18kg after training with scrum coach Daan Human on his farm. Image: Backpagepix The legend of Springboks' assistant coach Daan Human continues to grow after it was revealed this week that the new edition to the Springboks, prop Asenathi Ntlabkanye, lost about 18kg in a couple of weeks after training with the scrum coach on his farm. Human has become a cult figure in South African rugby for his bucket hats and his brutal scrum training sessions during the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which was showcased in fly-on-the-wall documentary Chasing The Sun 2. During those videos, Human, who doesn't believe in scrum machines because 'it doesn't push back' the Bok climb into each other with massive impacts during scrum training. It looks like mere mortals would simply fold in half if they had to experience that force - almost two tons of prime South African beef colliding. It's almost a case of an immovable object meeting an unstoppable force. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ It's one of the reasons the Bok scrum bailed them out on many occasions during those World Cup playoffs, with those one-point victories in the knockout stages coming down to fine margins and a scrum, which generated penalties. Ntlabakanye was this week included in the Springboks' starting team for Saturday's match against the Barbarians at Cape Town's DHL Stadium. Before the camp, he tipped the scales at about 160kg, one of the biggest players in the country However, Erasmus on Tuesday said that Ntlabakanye shed between 15 and 18 kilograms after spending time with Human in Bloemfontein when the Lions were knocked out of the United Rugby Championship. There the two worked on his fitness and scrum technique, with Erasmus calling it 'Kamp Daandraad', which is a play on word with the infamous Kamp Staaldraad. Kamp Staaldraad was supposed to be a team bonding exercise for the Boks ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup, with an emphasis on fitness and team building. But it ended up being a brutal training camp, with players having to shave their heads, spend time on their own in the bush while being naked. Erasmus put videos and pictures of Ntlabakanye, as well as Jan-Hendrik Wessels, training with Human on his farm, which has a gym with what looks like a lot of scrum equipment. In true Human style, the training was brutal, but clearly effective. 'He (Ntlabakanye) went a few times to Daan's farm and stayed for a week and Daan worked with him,' Erasmus said about Ntlabakanye's commitment. 'It was with the blessing of Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen and CEO Rudolf Streauli. Whenever there was a break, he drove to the farm. When we started looking at him two years ago and started tracking his actual battle stats, it was up there with the other guys. We told the Lions we've got to get this right when we roped him in. Jan Hendrik taste Kamp Staal Daan — Johan Erasmus (@RassieRugby) June 25, 2025
