Springboks utility forward Jan-Hendrik Wessels has given his verdict on the time he spent recently training on the farm of the world champions’ scrum coach Daan Human.

Just last week, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus revealed that Wessels, who is comfortable playing at loosehead prop or hooker, and fellow front-rower Asenathi Ntlabakanye were put put through their paces by the Boks’ “scrum doctor” Human on his farm in the Free State in a bid to sharpen them ahead of the upcoming international season.

The Boks kick off their two-Test series against Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday before the sides face off at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on July 12 and they then host Georgia at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on July 19.

Erasmus initially posted videos of Ntlabakanye’s time at Human‘s farm on his X page with the caption ‘Kamp Daandraad!!’, referencing the infamous Springboks training camp Kamp Staaldraad ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

The Springboks boss also posted videos of the Bulls star Wessels on social media with the caption ‘Jan Hendrik taste Kamp Staal Daan’.

Wessels, who came off the replacements bench and scored a try in the Boks’ 54-7 victory over the Barbarians in Cape Town last week, opened up on his time on Human’s farm where he worked on his scrummaging, and admitted that although it was tough, it benefited his game.

‘Daan offered to help me grow in that role’

“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 the 24-year-old.

“It’s the small things that make one a better player, and although it was tough, I really enjoyed it.”

Human revealed what the main focus areas were while working with Wessels and Ntlabakanye on the farm.

“Our focus was firstly to ensure that they are conditioned to scrum well, and we also worked on the fundamentals of scrummaging,” he explained.

“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.”

Turning his focus to their upcoming fixtures against Italy, Human said the Boks are expecting a tough challenge against the Azzurri, who despite being 10th in World Rugby’s official rankings, are a quality side.

“Unlike the Barbarians, who do not play regularly, Italy do, so we will be facing a proper Test team on Saturday,” he said.

“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 highlighted the Azzurri’s Test performances this year especially their efforts at 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,” he said.

‘We certainly respect them as a team’

“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 echoed Human’s sentiments and said the Italians are usually difficult opponents at club level.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

Focusing in on what the Springboks want to achieve in the forward battle against the Azzurri, 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.”