Scrum coach Graham Rowntree confirmed the British and Irish Lions will make front-row changes for the second Test after failing to tame "the Beast" in Saturday's 26-21 defeat to South Africa.
Phil Vickery was put through the mincer by Springbok loose-head Tendai Mtawarira and it was not until the introduction of Adam Jones and hooker Matthew Rees early in the second half that the Lions gained a foothold in the scrum.
"Yes, changes will be made," said Rowntree. "We failed to keep a lid on the Beast at engagement time and he got under us. We didn't dominate that engagement well enough and they had an incredibly powerful pack."
The Welsh pair are now favourites to start against the Springboks in Pretoria on Saturday while further changes to the lock pairing or the back row have not been ruled out.
Rowntree does not plan on repeating Jim Telfer's notoriously brutal scrummaging session on the 1997 Lions tour but he will not pull punches in his analysis this week.
He added: "Phil is a very honest guy and by his own admission he struggled. He is upset. He is sore this morning physically and mentally.
"It is not about hanging individuals out to dry. It is a collective thing and that is where I come in. I have to look at what went wrong.
"There were eight scrum occasions in that first half, three of which we were penalised. That put us nine points down. We will be looking very hard at those scrums where we looked so vulnerable.
"The changes we made sorted it out. I was delighted with the impact Matthew Rees and Adam Jones had in that set piece. The changes made the scrum better and we got some good playable possession."
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Guys, The B&I lions were MURDERED on their own so-call strenghs!! They thought they would "walk" the tight phases of the game and came up short!! A greater concerto them should be this: If thet picked their stringest combination/team last Saturday, what they gonna pick this Saturday?? Another untried combination!! Midfield was great, ONLY and i sai Only while they were moving forward! They look pretty ordinary when their forwards were to contesting the ball.. I agree that Vickery has to go, but before you do that, look who was scrumming next to him, behind him and to the side of him!! The problem lays THERE more than with him...Glen
Julian White is a ferocious scrummager, however a bit slow around the park, but he is proven at this level. Maybe with the brilliance of the back row guys we have over there we could excuse his lack of dynamism and use him just to tame the Beast? This is assuming that haymakers won't be launched at will! Also Simon Shaw has to start, A W-J is a great front jumper but Shaw has the bulk and the experience to complement O'Connell's athleticism. Whatever the selection it is going to be one hell of a game.
Shaw second row. Put some physicality on the. And p-le-ase not Hines. He's a @#$% . We need aggression in their faces. As for Prop, leave the Welsh fella in there. He showed Vickery how to scrummage despite Vickery's good work in the loose. Welsh front row it looks like, Shaw in at lock.
vickery the pasty!bring julian white over!!
He wsnt such a beast against adm jones though was he!! Did he get pushed back a couple of times!!!
Aha! The Beast that cannot be tamed..!! Go you Beaut!
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