This Saturday to face Ireland at the Stade de France (9 p.m.), Jacques Nienaber, the coach, opted for a bench with 7 forwards and a single three-quarter. Eben Etzebeth, affected against Scotland, returns to the team.
The Springboks don’t do anything like the others! While most teams announce their roster two days before matches, they do so four days before. A way, perhaps, to destabilize the opponents who then understand that they will have to face colossi for eighty minutes. This match between South Africa and Ireland promises to be the shock of this World Cup group stage with the first in the world ranking against the second, who is also the defending champion.
For this summit meeting between the two green giants, Jacques Nienaber, the coach and Rassie Erasmus, who became director of rugby but who retains great influence with the team, were able to count on the return of second row Eben Etzebeth. He will be associated in the cage with Franco Mostert. Mbonambi takes the place of hooker of Malcolm Marx injured and out of the rest of the competition. The rest is classic. Handre Pollard not ready yet, it is Faf De Klerk and Manie Libbok who will be associated with the hinge. Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse will form the back triangle.
A bench with 7 forwards
And as the South Africans really don’t do anything like the others, they opted for a bench with seven forwards and only a three-quarter, in this case scrum-half Cobus Reinach. As mentioned by Rassie Erasmus at a press conference, in the event of a problem, Kwagga Smith could help out in the back lines. De Klerk was tested at the opening against Romania.
The starting XV : 15. Willemse; 14. Ardense, 13. Kriel, 12. De Allende, 11. Kolbe ; 10. Libbok, 9. De Klerk; 7, Du Toit, 8. Wiese, 6. Kolisi (cap.) ; 5. Mostert, 4. Etzebeth ; 3. Malherbe, 2. Mbonambi, 1. Kitshoff.
Substitutes : 16. Fourie, 17. Nche, 18. Nyakane, 19. Kleyn, 20. Snyman, 21. Van Staden, 22. Smith, 23. Reinach.
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