Present at a press conference, Irish flanker Josh Van der Flier warned that mere strength will not be enough to dominate this South African team, more formidable than ever.
Andy Farrell only made one change from the last game against Tonga, do you take that as a mark of confidence?
We are very well trained with this staff led by Andy. They trust each member of the group and every time we make a change, the replacement does the job the same way as the starter. We have quality in all positions. I can tell you that everyone who is on the match sheet tomorrow is really looking forward to it.
What can we do to avoid the physical dimension of South Africa tomorrow?
They are strong, that’s for sure, as all South African teams always have been. It’s part of their DNA. But we accept this physical challenge. This is how we see rugby in Ireland. Every match is a big fight and we know that we will have to be at our best in this sector of the game tomorrow. It should also be added that South Africa is a very intelligent team. This match will not come down to a head-on confrontation. Of course we will need all our physical dimension but this will not be enough to win the match. We will have to play a full match, in all sectors.
How do you view your opponents in the South African back row, like Siya Kolisi?
There is a lot of quality in this position, and the ground game is one of this team’s strengths. We will absolutely have to prevent them from winning turnovers or slow down our releases. Everyone has a role to play in this. Once again, this efficiency in the ground game is a real threat. We even saw it from the South African franchises who joined us in the URC and the Champions Cup. We have of course worked on this sector during the week, and we will do everything possible to prevent them from gaining the upper hand in this sector.
How excited are you to play this match in front of thousands of supporters at the Stade de France?
The support from our fans who came massively to France is incredible. Tomorrow’s match is one of those that you want to play at least once in your life, against an opponent who is a world champion in a magnificent stadium like the Stade de France. I played here a few times, but there were always more French fans than Irish. I hope it will be the opposite tomorrow… It’s going to be incredible. We’re all going to realize our childhood dreams when we step onto the pitch.
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