Sio hits the books to counter the Boks

Ahead of his 50th Test, Wallabies prop Scott Sio says he has learnt to mix brute strength with careful preparation to ensure he stays ahead of the game.

Scott Sio

Wallabies prop Scott Sio earns his 50th Test cap against South Africa in the Rugby Championship. (AAP)

It will appear to be all crash and bash on game day but self-confessed rugby nerd Scott Sio will tell you there's more to it than that.

The Brumbies prop will play his 50th Test on Sunday morning (AEST) in Port Elizabeth, where the Wallabies start as rank outsiders against a Springboks buoyed by beating the All Blacks in New Zealand.

Much of how the match ebbs and flows will rest on the shoulders of Sio and his new prop partner Taniela Tupou in their scrum battle with the South African front row.

But 26-year-old Sio knows just what to expect, revealing his love for the analytical side of the game had blossomed since his Test debut in 2013.

"After the rule changes in scrums it became evident that everyone had their own style of scrummaging," he said.

"You have to be really across the analytical part of the game, really studying your opponent.

"From then to now I've appreciated getting behind the computers and studying what's to come a lot more."

It's a trait he is pushing on the younger props like Tupou, who will earn his first start at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium after Allan Alaalatoa was relegated to the bench.

Sio's father David played in the 1991 World Cup for Samoa and the well-spoken loosehead is confident of adding another successful chapter to the family scrapbook in Japan next year.

"I've had a lot of great memories in this jersey and (my goal is) to keep creating new memories down the track so I have an abundance of them to look back on," Sio said.


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Source: AAP


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