The Springboks may be desperate to keep their gaze on Romania ahead of their Rugby World Cup clash in Bordeaux today, but they are continually being drawn on more pressing business in Paris next weekend.
The Boks play Ireland at Stade de France in one of the pool stages’ marquee games next weekend, and it has been nigh impossible to relegate that engagement to the back of the mind.
Not with sections of the media continuing to link director of rugby Rassie Erasmus to a top job at the Irish Rugby Football Union, or reminders that Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber is heading there at the end of this campaign, or that the Boks may unseat Ireland as the top ranked team in the world.
Erasmus, of course, has a contract with SA Rugby that expires in 2025. Another hot topic with a view on next week has been the availability of players who have injuries, and are still returning from injury.
On that front, flyhalf Handre Pollard appears set to join the squad as replacement for hooker Malcolm Marx, while there is positive news with regard to Eben Etzebeth’s shoulder injury.
I don’t think it is a massive injury. It’s a matter of managing it. He is a few days from being fit.
— Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick
Earlier in the week Nienaber indicated the injury would take up to two weeks to heal.
Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick, however, delivered a fresh, much rosier prognosis yesterday. “We, as coaches, were surprised last week that he was going all out in training sessions,” he said.
“At the moment he is about four to five days away from being fully fit. Today he was busy in the gym. Last week he did one if not two sessions with the team. It is a question of management. I don’t think it is a massive injury. It’s a matter of managing it. He is a few days from being fit.”
Etzebeth’s availability will be massive to the Boks who have been reeling from injuries. In the seven Tests he has played against Ireland, the Boks won three.
Stick went on to explain that injured centre Lukhanyo Am, who was not selected in the Rugby World Cup squad, is between one and two weeks from being restored to full fitness.
Though Stick insisted “Ireland is not in our heads”, the Boks will be keen to get out of Bordeaux with a win and a performance that brings more players into the conversation for a game next weekend.
The Boks will need to be close to their best if they are going to topple Ireland. For former Kings flanker Chris Cloete, who had five seasons with Munster in Ireland, there are parallels to be drawn between Nienaber and Andy Farrell’s squads.
“They have built a squad over the last couple of years. The majority of that squad is still together. They are similar to South Africa. Their senior players are leaders at their clubs. You need a core senior group. That makes it easier for new guys to slot straight in,” said Cloete.
Farrell has managed to take Ireland a notch higher after former coach Joe Schmidt departed the scene following the last World Cup. They are particularly proficient at the ruck, where they flood the area and cause chaos. It often presents the referee a blurred view, and they tend to get the rub of the green. “They are very fast at the breakdown,” said Cloete.
“The faster the ball, the better their attack. They put pressure on the defence. They have the fastest ruck speed in the world at the moment. They are really quick to the ball. They don’t just allow the opposition to spoil their ball.
“They play on top of you and the defence can’t set fast enough. That is one of the strengths because they just pull you in, and then take you wide. They have good poachers in the forwards and backline.”
Cloete, himself a forceful breakdown practitioner, said Ireland create continuity on attack and build unrelenting pressure. If they get slowed down at the ruck, they can be vulnerable. It is not the only area where the Boks can get at Ireland.
“If you slow their ball down, they can’t put pressure on you. They are a well-rounded team on defence and attack. Your game plan will also have to involve trying to fluster Johnny Sexton because he is one of the pivotal players for Ireland.
“He is a great player. I hate him as a player because he is so competitive. But that’s what you want. He’s 38 and outperforming younger players. The Irish don’t back down. They are a proud nation just like us. Their whole country is behind them. It will be a great game.”
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