The high-flying Springboks have lost four of their last five meetings with Ireland but will get another chance at improving on that record when they face Andy Farrell’s men at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday.
Here are three key areas that could decide the fate of the contest as the Boks go in search of their first win on Irish soil since 2012.
Player temperament and discipline
It’s no secret the Boks/ Ireland rivalry has become one of the most fiercely competitive in the game, and the side that best controls its aggression and channels it positively into other areas will have a major advantage in what will be another hugely physical matchup.
There’s a lot of feeling between the teams, with the Emerald Isle enjoying the edge in recent history and winning their 2023 RWC pool stage encounter, while Boks supporters have infamously hijacked Ireland anthem “Zombie” by The Cranberries and turned it into their own unique version featuring a certain Dr Johan Erasmus – something that hasn’t always gone down well up north.
In the week building up to the Test, former Irish internationals Simon Zebo and Alan Quinlan have brought up past comments made by Eben Etzebeth in which the Bok great called Farrell’s team “arrogant” in the aftermath of that pool stage victory in France, with many Ireland players allegedly telling the defeated Boks they would “see them in the final” following the final whistle.
With the Munstermen Zebo and Quinlan both questioning the accuracy of those Etzebeth remarks, and the former also noting how he believes Ireland can beat the Boks if they hit ruck speed of under three seconds, all the ingredients for another feisty fixture are there.
All that said, the spoils should go to the side that best utilises these emotions, with any over-exuberance potentially ending in a sending-off – as Bok locks Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert can attest.
Ageing Irish heroes
Boosted by a first-half hattrick from Aussie-born fullback-cum-winger Mack Hansen, Ireland claimed a record 46-19 thumping of a tired Wallabies outfit last week, a fortnight on from their 13-26 loss to New Zealand. While that former performance will undoubtedly give them momentum as they gear up for this weekend’s Test with the back-to-back world champions, the question marks surrounding so many of their veterans remain, with the majority of the players Farrell has used – with great success – during his tenure edging closer to their expiration dates, and with seemingly no real replacements lined up to take their place.
Household names like Tadhg Furlong, Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Beirne, Jamison Gibson-Park and Garry Ringrose are all on the wrong side of 30, and with recently-retired Test centurions Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray, Cian Healy and Peter O’Mahony already gone, there’s a danger that this current group will be vulnerable against a more balanced and youthful Bok lineup.
Regardless of the result this weekend, Farrell has a massive job on his hands blooding the next generation of Irish talent in time for the looming World Cup.
The Bomb Squad factor
Leading on from the previous point, Erasmus’ bench impact could completely take the game away for the hosts in that final quarter – or even sooner depending on when he opts to use his subs. The Bok boss has made a habit on this tour of reaching for his bench players early on, and while those were mostly in response to the aforementioned cardings shown to de Jager and Mostert, there’s no telling what tricks the good doctor will have up his sleeve in Dublin.
With much team selection uncertainty surrounding Ireland right now, especially in relation to the unresolved Jack Crowley-Sam Prendergast flyhalf debate, Erasmus’ matchday squad could be geared to capitalising on that, and punishing any Irish timidity.
