All Blacks hardmen say scrumming down with Argentina is a pain in the neck
Burly New Zealand props Owen and Ben Franks expect some sore muscles after game against Pumas
Argentina have become a pain in the neck literally for burly All Blacks props Owen and Ben Franks as the length of time scrums are formed has doubled.
When New Zealand play Argentina in their World Cup opener at Wembley Stadium today a collision of two giant packs is expected.
It is something the Franks brothers relish, as veterans of the dark arts of the front row, but they admit it can take them days to recover.
The scrum’s doubled in length so it does make it a lot harder
"If you play a team like Argentina, or South Africa, you have a good three or four days of soreness," Ben Franks said yesterday.
The brothers are formidable and their reputation precedes them, as the two props did not deny a rumour that they could lift a tractor - each.
The 120kg Franks has played Argentina three times while younger brother Owen, at 116kg, has packed down against the South Americans seven times.
With similar sized players around them, when the two packs go down it is more than 900kg of beef on both sides crashing into each other.