Scotland scrum coach Pieter De Villiers has warned South Africa that there would be ‘no place to hide’ when the two sides meet in the Rugby World Cup opener at Stade de Marseille on Sunday.

When he played, De Villiers was known as a strong prop who was good at strategy and a beast in the scrum. He was born in the town of Malmesbury in the Western Cape. He won 68 caps for France and played in two Rugby World Cups for the country he now lives in.

The 51-year-old was added to the Scotland team in 2019 and is said to have helped strengthen the front five of the fifth-best team in the world.

“You can never hide from the set-piece. It is about taking them on, it’s always about that one-on-one physicality. There is no hiding in the set-piece,” De Villiers said.

The South African, who played for a long time in the Top 14 for the Paris-based Stade Francais, said that playing against his home country would be something to remember.

“It’s always the same. They are all very special moments,” he said. “For the players who have worked so hard for a long time, getting to participate in this is really special.

“As a coach you don’t have that extra special feeling of being on the field but the pleasure of working with players and helping them and the team grow is a huge satisfaction.”