When Brazilian soccer fans talk about 'the beautiful game' it normally refers to free-flowing football: impromptu back-heels and other tricks and flicks. But for their growing band of rugby counterparts, the sight of the Os Tupis pack marching opponents back at scrum time is just as pleasing on the eye.

It is not just them. Rugby fans the world over have been wowed by the South American shunters, who are in danger of eclipsing Georgia’s reputation as the most revered scrum unit in the game, with World Rugby’s video of the ‘Os Tupis eight’ attracting nearly half-a-million views online.

The exploits of the Brazilian forwards first came to light when they put the wheels on the Maori All Blacks in front of a record 30,000 crowd, while that dominance has continued throughout the Americas Rugby Championship including the game against Argentina XV, where would-be Pumas were forced to back-pedal.

While head coach Rodolfo Ambrosio has seen the devastating work of his side’s scrum at first hand, the buzz around it from further afield has totally passed him by.

“I don’t have Facebook, Twitter or any of those things,” says Ambrosio, acknowledging that he’s heard his players speak about the videos but not seen them for himself.

“I’m totally unaware of the impact,” he adds. “In terms of the development of Brazil, it is an achievement that so many have seen the videos, it showcases something that the team is good at.”

Scrum lover

Even as a former fly-half – he played for adopted country Italy at the inaugural Rugby World Cup – Ambrosio is a long-time fan of the scrum.

“I’ve always loved the scrum and what it means to a team,” says Ambrosio, who hails from Tala, an Argentine club where the scrum is part of the culture.

“You try to transmit that culture, but you need to have the players that can take that to the next level.”

Understanding that a team with a strong scrum and a solid defence is hard to beat, Ambrosio has made sure that the national academies work on this distinctive facet of the game from an early age. “What the world has seen recently has taken three years,” he says.

When Brazil beat Argentina XV to unexpectedly take the South America Six Nations title last year, turning a 33-0 deficit into a 36-33 win, the final score came off the back of an advancing scrum. Seeing the fruits of their labours, Ambrosio says, just spurs them on to reach even greater heights.

“The players enjoy the scrum, they embrace it and know they are good at it which pushes them even further. But I can assure it is not our main focus."