Cape Town – It’s the world champions against the No 1-ranked team on the planet as the Springboks take on Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night (7.30pm SA time kickoff).
We look at five key battles that the Boks must boss to emerge victorious in Dublin, in order to exorcise the ghost of the 38-3 defeat at the same venue in 2017…
Kicking game
In Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray, Ireland have a halfback pair with over 200 Test caps to their name, while the Boks total just 33 with Damian Willemse (23) and Jaden Hendrikse (10).
Sexton and Murray know every blade of grass and every corner at the Aviva Stadium, so they will know how the wind blows to a particular side of the field as well.
They will launch up-and-unders all night long for Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Makazole Mapimpi to handle, while also looking for space in the back-field.
The Bok back-three are all exciting with ball-in-hand, but must be brave and go high into the air to diffuse those ‘bombs’.
But Hendrikse and Willemse should stamp their class on proceedings as well, with the Irish fielding a back-three with question marks themselves. Fullback Hugo Keenan hasn’t played since July due to injury, Robert Baloucoune will earn just his third cap at right wing, and they are missing the injured James Lowe.
Dublin captain's run done 👍#Springboks #StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/OKHkolG2yf
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 4, 2022
Breakdowns
Bok captain Siya Kolisi already mentioned it on Friday – whoever gets the edge at the breakdowns will be in pole position for victory.
But it’s not just about the likes of Malcolm Marx and Steven Kitshoff winning penalties or turnovers.
The South Africans need to prevent Ireland from getting quick ball, as the hosts thrive on their multi-phase game to outwork the defence.
The Boks must make it a real contest for the ball, and they will hope that Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli will allow that instead of blowing up anyone who dares to stick their head in.
Ireland No 7 Josh van der Flier will aim to disrupt the Bok attack as well, so the visitors must be alert to clean him out.
Kolisi v Sexton
We’ve seen how petulant Sexton can become whenever he’s on the pitch for Ireland or his beloved Leinster.
He riles up opposition supporters for the way he often shouts at referees to penalise opponents, especially when things aren’t going his way – almost like the boy in the park who owns the ball and leaves with it when he can’t do what he wants.
Of course, the 38-year-old Sexton has been the king of Aviva Stadium for a long time, but can the Boks’ own ‘King Kolisi’ dethrone him on Saturday night?
Coach Jacques Nienaber implored his team earlier this week to not get tied up in Sexton’s antics.
But Kolisi made an interesting comment on Friday when asked if he knows Sexton personally at all: “I don’t know him well. I’ve spoken to him a little bit… I met him at one event, and just on social media – I wish him luck in games, because we are both adidas athletes.
“I’ve seen him a couple of times, and if I see him in the street, I would stop and greet, and talk to him. Not now, but I’ve spoken to him before.
“He’s a good leader, he plays with his heart on his sleeve, and he lays it all out on the field. He directs the team very well – you can see that a lot of the players look up to him. Their attack relies a lot on him, and he drives the team around.”
So, the inference is, if the Boks neutralise Sexton, the Irish attack will fall apart…
Your #Springboks team to face Ireland in Dublin tomorrow 🇿🇦#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/60EeESU3i2
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 4, 2022
Handle weather conditions
Ireland are two hours behind South Africa, and mercifully, it seems as if there will be a gap in the weather when the game kicks off at 5.30pm Dublin time.
But while the forecast states that it is suppose to stop raining at 12pm, it is set to start again at 7pm – which will be slap-bang in the middle of the second half.
That is normally when Test matches are decided, and the Boks will hope that the six-two bench split will work in their favour as they might look to keep things tight with their forwards in the second half.
But the pitch is sure to be slippery anyway, so it will require the Boks to be sharp from kickoff. Handling will be difficult and claiming high-balls will be tough, and the South African pack must be careful not to slip at scrum-time and give away penalties, as Irish veteran Johnny Sexton is just waiting to slot those three-pointers.
The Rassie Factor
Okay, this one has nothing to do with Ireland, but having director of rugby Rassie Erasmus back for match-day activities – following his World Rugby ban – will add another sharp edge to the Boks.
Kolisi was glowing about Erasmus’ contribution already this week: “To have somebody like him, who’s played the game and who can be as raw as possible – not just in rugby, but in life in general.
“Somebody who can speak to you about mistakes in life and in rugby, who can see when you are going the wrong way and push you back into the path again… And somebody who can back you when everybody is against you, and tells you: ‘If you get yourself fit, (the) form will come’.
“And just on the field too – he sees stuff that we don’t see, and it’s important to get those messages immediately. But now, when he wasn’t with us, it was difficult – other coaches had to take that part.
“He is more, I think for me, not too technical, but more of a people’s person. He knows how to read a room. He knows when we are going off course as a group, or we are moaning for nothing, and we like that. He’s direct with us as a group, and it’s great to have him (back).
“That experience is going to help us a lot as a group. It gives us that security, to know that we have an extra eye on anything that we are missing as a group – so that all the other coaches can focus on what they have to do. He does far more for us as a group.
“It gives you comfort in the toughest times. We are excited to have him, and it’s already been special to have him around here.”
@ashfakmohamed