Springboks ready for huge Ireland clash, back bench revolution

PARIS – South Africa’s Rugby World Cup clash with world No. 1 Ireland on Saturday is as big as it gets, according to captain Siya Kolisi, while coach Jacques Nienaber has stuck with his 7-1 bench “innovation”.

Ireland are on a run of 15 straight wins and beat the Springboks 19-16 when they met in Dublin in November, with this battle in Paris likely to decide the top team in Pool B.

The Irish lead with 10 points, one ahead of the world champions who have also won two games from two.

“We took a lot from the last match we played against them and both teams are playing well. So this is a good time to face them,” Kolisi said.

“We want to play nice, competitive rugby and I believe the match will be tough and played in a good spirit. This is as big as it gets.”

The breakdown battle and discipline are the two areas that the flanker believes will go a long way to deciding the outcome.

“The breakdowns are going to be big. They have a lot of players who are effective in that department and I think that will have a big influence on the game,” he added.

“And if you concede penalties against a team like Ireland, they’ll either get territory or points. So they’ll put us under pressure. We must be disciplined to get the right result.”

Nienaber raised eyebrows when he selected seven forwards on the bench, which has prompted an outcry from some pundits as being against the spirit of the game.

It is an attempt to make the Boks effective in the forwards, especially at the breakdown and with quick ruck ball, for the full 80 minutes.

“Innovation in any sport will trigger a reaction,” Nienaber said.

“This is the first time it’s been done in rugby and that will come with a positive and negative reaction, but nothing is stopping other teams from doing it. It would be a sad day if innovation is stopped, especially when it is within the laws.”

South Africa have won 18 of their 27 previous matches with Ireland but it is the Irish who have held the upper hand in recent years, winning four of their last six encounters. Surprisingly this is their first World Cup meeting.

Nienaber made 13 changes to the side who dismantled Romania 76-0, reverting to 14 of the 15 players who started in the 18-3 opening win over the Scots. The only change compared to that match sees Bongi Mbonambi take the place of injured hooker Malcolm Marx.

Ireland, meanwhile, named scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park as their only change as coach Andy Farrell selected an unchanged pack with a 5-3 split between forwards and backs on the bench.

“It is not a must-win, it is not a do-or-die game but it is pretty important to both teams, let’s put it that way. It’s always nice to win, but we have always looked at ourselves mainly in terms of performance,” Farrell said.

Johnny Sexton will lead the team from fly-half alongside Gibson-Park, who comes into the aide that defeated Tonga 59-16 in their previous game.

South Africa’s decision to choose seven forwards on the bench was never likely to change Ireland’s plans, but could be a factor in the final 20 minutes if they hold the physical edge and are able to produce greater speed at the breakdown.

“It’s great. They know what fits for them and so do we. I did pose the question to our forwards coaches as to whether we should go with seven backs and one forward, but they weren’t up for that,” Farrell said of the strategy.

“But I am pretty confident in the five forwards we have got coming off the bench and the impact they’re going to have.” REUTERS, AFP