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John Afoa: Why All Blacks scrum is struggling against Springboks
Sport Nation • September 7th, 2026 9:02 am
All Blacks scrum | Photo: Photosport
Former All Black prop John Afoa says the All Blacks face a significant challenge to fix their scrum after struggling against South Africa’s powerful forward pack.
The world champions had their way yet again with the visitors' pack in Johannesburg, earning a string of penalties which played a large part in the All Blacks' downfall, as the 29-24 defeat saw them fall to a 2-1 series deficit.
Afoa, who made 38 appearances for the All Black upfront, believes the Springboks’ specialist props are creating a problem New Zealand simply isn’t used to facing.
“Those guys that they have - (Wilco) Louw, Ox (Nche), and (Malcolm) Marx - they're just a different breed and they're the kind of guys that we don't see in New Zealand,” Afoa told Sport Nation's Scotty & Izzy.
“They're so thick, so low to the ground that those looseheads are struggling to stay underneath them.”
Afoa said South Africa’s approach is built around the sheer size and power of their front row, with specialist replacements allowing them to maintain that physicality throughout the match.
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“Your specialist props on the bench, these guys can play at the highest level because they don't have to play more than 40 minutes or 50 minutes,” he said.
He also highlighted the role of No. 8 Jasper Wiese, whose power from the back of the scrum adds another dimension to South Africa’s dominance.
“It's just the whole culture around and the buy-in from all the players,” Afoa said.
“Coming from the back and then low to the ground... you need to fix it straight away. Rennie mentioned they lost a couple of hits, and once you lose that hit and that Louw drops his height, drops his weight on you, you're done.”
Afoa noted the All Blacks have already tried several ways to counter the Springboks, including changes to personnel and attempting to close the gap at scrum time.
All Blacks forward coach Jason Ryan | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
But as he stressed, there is no band-aid fix for the All Blacks’ scrum issues, suggesting the problem doesn't lie with forwards coach Jason Ryan.
“It's going to take time. There's not going to be a one-week fix,” he said.
“I think if there was, they would have found it with the coaches that they have. They've got great coaches there, good personnel.”
He also believes New Zealand may need to change its mindset around scrum opportunities, particularly when the Springboks are under pressure.
“We're just so used to playing the ball away that we've got to send them down,” Afoa said.
“I just don't think we're looking for (the penalty), or we've not really seen it as a forward pack or number nine to tell the boys to leave it in."
Listen to the full interview below:
