If the Springboks fail to fire on all cylinders from the get-go they will find themselves in trouble against a dangerous Scotland outfit at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, coach Rassie Erasmus said.
Scotland showed what they are capable of when they kicked off their Nations Championship campaign with an impressive 47-38 victory against Argentina in Cordoba last week.
Buoyed by a win that saw them rise to fifth in the world rankings, the Scots will have confidence running through their veins when they take on the world champions (kickoff 5.40pm).
They will be up against a Bok side who powered their way to a thumping 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park last week.
The Boks raced into an early 17-0 lead in Johannesburg, leaving England shell-shocked, and Erasmus is calling for more of the same.
“I think the guys playing for the Boks on Saturday might have to find their feet really quickly in the game,” Erasmus said.
“We want to have another fast start, maybe not on the scoreboard, but hopefully they can have a high-intensity start, and we will be happy with that.
“Scotland are a quality team who will test us in all areas of the game, and they are well coached, so they will throw everything they have at us.
“Matches against them are always tough, and looking back there have been some very close encounters between the sides in the past.
“We need to be switched on from the first whistle, be accurate in all departments of the game, and use our opportunities if we want to get the desired result.”
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend said his team were facing a massive challenge at Loftus.
“From our perspective, no-one in our group has played South Africa away from home for Scotland,” he said.
“So it’s a unique opportunity for us.
“It’s obviously the biggest challenge in world rugby.
“Having watched the first half against England, they came out as if they’d been playing together for months.
“They’re a team that knows its identity. They’re very good at what they do.
“It’s a great challenge, but also a great marker of where we are and where we need to go after this game.”
Despite the Boks making sweeping changes to the side that beat England, Townsend expects South Africa to retain their continuity.
“They change their team pretty regularly,” he said.
“I’m looking at the teams they’ve picked over the last six or seven games, and it changes all the time. Often they change the pack during games.
“I’d imagine this team, or something close to it, has trained together over the past two or three weeks.
“They’ll be fresh, ready to go and they’ll want to build on what was a very good performance against England.
Townsend said the return of Handre Pollard at flyhalf would not alter the Boks’ approach to the game.
“No, I don’t think so,” he said.
“The way South Africa play, I’d like to think how we play also factors into their preparations.
“But Handre has obviously played a number of times in that 10 jersey. He’s won a lot of games.
“He’s playing at his home ground. We felt that change might come.
“This is an opportunity for the Boks to test their depth, give other players opportunities and freshen things up.
“The pack has always been a huge strength of South African rugby.
“We expect them to take the game to us through the set-piece, their ball-carrying and the way they defend.
“So it’s going to be a huge challenge. But it’s one we’re ready for.”
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