No big talk from Scotland in South Africa, just quiet confidence

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu says his side’s confidence is low‑key as they prepare to meet world champions South Africa in Pretoria on Saturday in the Nations Championship. “I’d similar to deliberation possibly our assurance is simply a small spot much quiet, to support it successful the changing room,” said the Glasgow centre. “There’s nary constituent astur talking astir thing similar that earlier the game, due to the fact that you’ve got to spell retired determination and play the satellite champions successful their backyard.” “Maybe this is simply a small spot of maine gaining acquisition implicit the past two, 3 years, it's amended to conscionable permission it to Saturday.” “Of people I'm assured successful my group. I'd beryllium anserine arsenic a skipper to beryllium up present and say, 'I'm not assured successful my radical and we're going to spell determination and lose' earlier the game. That's stupid, you know?” “So of people I'm assured successful my group, but we'll absorption connected ourselves. We cognize the situation astatine manus and we're conscionable truly excited for it, genuinely.” Tuipulotu has avoided the usual pre‑match fanfare, a shift from his unusually combative media stance after Scotland’s loss to Argentina at Murrayfield last November. At that time he declared he would no longer make public pronouncements about the team’s ambitions, only to see those statements thrown back when results fell short. Head coach Gregor Townsend and several players have linked the team’s recent upturn—victories over Wales, England and France in the Six Nations and a surprise away win against Argentina—to the frank internal conversations that followed that November defeat. While Tuipulotu is not generating headlines about a potential upset of South Africa at Loftus Versfeld, he believes the Springboks will face a Scottish side that has evolved since their 2024 encounter. “I deliberation we're a overmuch antithetic squad now,” Tuipulotu said. “I would similar to deliberation that we've benignant of evolved into, I suppose, becoming the squad that we privation to become.” “We saw bits of that successful the Six Nations and I was truly arrogant of the show past week distant from location [against Argentina].”