Ruan Nortje says the Springboks must sharpen their misfiring lineout against the Wallabies at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

RASSIE: Cape Town Test will be a ‘grind’

The Vodacom Bulls skyscraper admitted the set-piece was below par in Johannesburg, and has stressed that South Africa’s tight five need to find their accuracy to provide a platform for the rest of the team.

“All credit to Australia for how they handled the lineouts last week,” Nortje said.

“It’s not just the players who were on the field. All the locks sat together and made plans from the Sunday before the match, so we need to ensure that we are more effective in that department this weekend.

“We know we are much better than what we showed in Johannesburg, so it will be vital for us to stick to our plans this week and to go out there and be as physical as possible.”

Nortje will start alongside RG Snyman for the first time, something he described as a special moment in his career.

“This is the first time I’ll be starting a game next to RG, and I’m excited about the opportunity,” he said.

“He was also at the Bulls a few years ago, and I always wanted us to play together, so the key for us this week will be to do our utmost to work well together.”

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The 27-year-old added that the depth of locks in the Bok squad has raised his own standards:

“It’s special for me to be part of this group of locks. Many of them have been my heroes since I started playing junior rugby, so I try to learn with each opportunity I get to play and train with them because it’s important to grab every chance one gets with both hands.”

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