The Springboks will need to find a way to outsmart Ireland when the two teams go head-to-head in Saturday’s Test match at Aviva Stadium.
Cape Town — Ireland may now have an extra physical edge under coach Andy Farrell, but the Springboks will still need to find a way to “outsmart” the home side in Saturday’s Test at the Aviva Stadium (7.30pm SA time kick-off).
That is according to Bok director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, who knows most of the Irish players well following his 18-month stint in the same position at Munster a few years ago.
The Boks will look to avenge the 38-3 thrashing at the hands of the Irish in their last visit to Dublin in 2017, when New Zealander Joe Schmidt was the head coach.
Farrell, who was the defence coach at the time, took over following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, and his biggest achievement so far was the 2-1 series win over the All Blacks in New Zealand earlier this year.
Ireland play a ball-in-hand attacking style, which is complemented by a strong kicking game led by veteran captain and flyhalf Johnny Sexton.
A momentous occasion awaits Jacques Nienaber and the #Springboks in Dublin on Saturday 🗣#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/dWbqXy2Lqj
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 3, 2022
But while Erasmus feels that their pack have improved significantly under Farrell over the last few years, the former England centre made an interesting call on Thursday to pick only five forwards on the bench — with the Boks having opted for a six-two ‘Bomb Squad’ split.
The selection of Tadhg Beirne at No.4 lock instead of blindside flank, where old warhorse Peter O’Mahony will combine with the speedy Josh van der Flier at openside and the skilful and athletic Caelan Doris at No.8, indicates that the Irish are going to stick to their high-tempo game.
A special group of players! 😍#TeamOfUs | #IrishRugby pic.twitter.com/qjyxKVOxJ4
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) November 3, 2022
The world champions will look to get stuck in physically initially, and then bring on the agile duo of Deon Fourie and Kwagga Smith to pick up the pace in the second half.
“We will have to defend well. Our wings score tries as well … It works both sides. If the weather plays along … I guess our defence will have to be top-notch — but the other way as well,” Erasmus said.
“It’s so difficult to compare them (Farrell and Schmidt) … I just think this team has got a — apart from the technicalities — a real good, physical edge as well.
“I don’t think that (Schmidt) team had a particularly hard edge. You can ask the players — I think the technical way in which they played was the major thing to counter. It wasn’t maybe robustness and being in your face … It was about ‘These guys outsmart you’ — that’s the way they played.
“But I can’t say that about the current team, as they are where they are. Maybe they thought, when they gave us 38-3, that we didn’t have a physical edge or we were softies! So, things change quickly.
“It’s mostly the crowd, and the crowd here is not hostile, but they support their home (team). You can feel the pressure of them doing something small (in a) great (manner), but the crowd erupts. And then the weather …
“And then the unknown: a lot of our players have played them in the URC, which gives you that in-touch feeling a little bit about the way they play. But there is a bit of the unknown, and the weather’s a challenge.
“We’ve got certain strengths that we think will be good in this game, but I definitely don’t think that this is a team that you can just run over.
A strong and experienced @IrishRugby side will await the #Springboks in Dublin on Saturday – team announcement: https://t.co/ebFiKIuwWC 🇮🇪#IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/3YbTRnf5mk
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 3, 2022
“We have to make some special plans to outsmart them as well – because Andy is an ex-rugby league guy, and was one of the toughest rugby league players that there were, and he is a defence coach.
“And then the technical things that Paul (O’Connell, assistant coach) brings into the game … We will have to be smart. I won’t say where I think we have to be smart! But let’s see who’s smart on Saturday.”
Ireland Team
15 Hugo Keenan 14 Robert Baloucoune 13 Garry Ringrose 12 Robbie Henshaw 11 Mack Hansen 10 Johnny Sexton (captain) 9 Conor Murray 8 Caelan Doris 7 Josh van der Flier 6 Peter O’Mahony 5 James Ryan 4 Tadhg Beirne 3 Tadhg Furlong 2 Dan Sheehan 1 Andrew Porter.
Bench: 16 Rob Herring 17 Cian Healy 18 Finlay Bealham 19 Kieran Treadwell 20 Jack Conan 21 Jamison Gibson-Park 22 Joey Carbery 23 Stuart McCloskey.
