Louw expects stronger Boks in Durban

After questions were raised over the pack during the 47-13 victory against the World XV in Cape Town over the weekend, the England-based loose forward said it was a huge part of the game.

"It's something we pride ourselves on, as South Africans, and we want to get results there every time," he said.

"There are some areas to work on, going into this week, and those are the little things we will try and rectify to ensure we're firing on 100 per cent."

During the international season-opener at Newlands, there were several scrum penalties conceded by the front row, an area the South Africans would be desperate to improve on against the Welsh.

"I thought there were one or two technical issues with the scrum," forwards coach Johann van Graan said. "We've had a good look at it. If you look at it statistically, we won three penalties and three kicks on our ball on the tighthead and we conceded four.

"That's part of the game. We had to adapt pretty quickly to interpretations, I thought our engagement was quite good, we weren't quite on top on our post-engagement work. "That's something we'll have to work on this weekend."

Louw, 28, also felt the breakdowns needed work, where the Springboks were slightly complacent in a match which was not classified as a Test.

"I think our urgency needs to improve," the Bath star said.

"The World XV had some quick guys and we were a bit slow to get there. "It is important for us to get quick ball at the breakdown with the type of rugby we play, so emphasis has been placed on that."

Louw, capped 28 times by the Boks, missed close to two months of the season earlier this year with an ankle injury.

He said the break had left him feeling refreshed as he prepared for time with the national team during his off-season.

"I suppose injuries do have pros and cons," he said.

"In that respect you get a little bit of a break from the physical side of things, so perhaps it is a bit of a blessing. "I'm feeling pretty good at the moment. I've had time to work on my conditioning and getting back into shape. Now coming into these Test matches, hopefully I'll be able to fire on all cylinders."

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer names his team to face Wales later today.

(File photo:Gallo Images)