By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber made wholesale changes as well naming a seven-one split in favour of the forwards on the replacements’ bench for Saturday’s third Rugby World Cup pool encounter against Ireland.
Nienaber has made 13 changes to the side that dismantled Romania, reverting to 14 of the 15 players who started against Scotland.
The two players to retain their places in the run-on team are Bongi Mbonambi (hooker) and Damian Willemse (utility back) – who moves from flyhalf to fullback – while Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe (props), Jasper Wiese (No 8) and Jesse Kriel (centre) move from the replacements’ bench.
Overall, the team reunites the starting combination that defeated Scotland 18-3 in the opening pool match except for hooker, where Mbonambi starts in place of the injured Malcolm Marx.
In the pack, it means the restoration of the locking combination of Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert, and the loose trio of captain Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit (both flankers) and Wiese.
Outside them, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and flyhalf Manie Libbok unite at halfback, while Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cheslin Kolbe will patrol the wings outside of the centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Kriel.
“Ireland are a quality team with a strong pack of forwards and talented backs, and they play with a lot of speed, so we know what we have to do to deliver a top-drawer performance for things to go our way,” Nienaber said.
“We faced them late last year and we’ve been keeping an eye on their performances this year, so everyone knows what we have to do this weekend,” he added.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Director of Rugby Rasie Erasmus was asked whether the coaching staff had addressed their poor record against Ireland in preparation for the World Cup tie.
“I was thinking about that when I read a few things on social media,” Erasmus said.
“A few of my friends said that Ireland is our bogey team, but the World Cup is Ireland’s bogey competition.”
The Springboks’ boss clearly referenced the fact that Ireland have never progressed past the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
“But then, if you think about history, when we lost our pool match against New Zealand (in 2019), then we won the World Cup. It had never been done before, “Erasmus added.
After playing world number one side Ireland on Saturday in Paris, the Springboks will end their Pool B campaign against Tonga on October 1.
