South Africa take on Ireland tonight in a blockbuster Pool B encounter that could prove to be the match of the Rugby World Cup so far. The defending champions go up against the number-one ranked side in the world – it promises to be a special occasion in Paris.
The Springboks have already eased to victories over Scotland and Romania so far and, their intentions are clear heading into this match after they named seven forwards on the bench. How Ireland deal with almost an entirely new pack coming on in the second-half will likely decide tonight’s clash.
Ireland came out on top in a bruising encounter when these sides met at the end of last year, and another victory here would be a major statement as they look to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time. Defeat though and it will be a long fortnight ahead before a decisive match against Scotland, when a place in the quarter-finals would be on the line. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
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Last time they met…
Ireland edged a bruising encounter when the two nations met in Dublin at the end of last year.
A 19-16 win is certainly one that the Irish will be taking confidence from, but the stage is a much bigger one this time!
Not long until we found out if Ireland can rise to the occasion again…
Farrell wants cool Irish heads
Andy Farrell has urged Ireland to keep their cool tonight, believing the match could come down to who handles their emotions best on the biggest stage.
“That’s what top teams do, they can compartmentalise what’s going on to the reality of the big show,” said Farrell.
“It’s something that we’ve gotten better at certainly over the last couple of years and it’s for occasions like this.
“We will be tested, our emotions will be tested but how we make sure we play the game that’s in front of our face is pretty important.
“Two good teams going at it in form. It will be [about] who handles the pressure on the day the best.”
South Africa fans are ready!
Elsewhere at the World Cup…
Marcus Smith turbocharged England’s 71-0 Rugby World Cup win over Chile, to put the Red Rose men on the brink of quarter-final qualification this evening.
The Harlequins hurricane delivered a gale-force performance of acumen and alacrity at full-back, as England racked up 11 tries against the overmatched Chile.
Henry Arundell bagged a 50-minute hat-trick, then went on to equal England’s record one-match haul of five tries, that he now shares with Josh Lewsey and Rory Underwood.
Smith stole the show however, unshackled at No 15 and running riot to turn himself into a genuine full-back option for Steve Borthwick’s men.
Smith claimed a try brace of his own, as did Theo Dan, with Bevan Rodd and Jack Willis also troubling the scorers.
Lowe: We want to make statement
James Lowe has backed Ireland to make a “statement” tonight against South Africa, with the winger admitting only after this match will Ireland really know whether they are ready for a deep World Cup run.
“This week is a whole new beast, isn’t it?” said Lowe.
“We are really going to find out where we are at and we think we are in a good place. We have put ourselves on the front foot and hopefully the performance will show that.
“To really put a statement on this competition is hopefully what we’re going to get and that will be reflected by the performance.
“Obviously as the stakes get bigger the further we go throughout this tournament, it’s not do or die but there’s no way we are going out there to lose.”
Erasmus fires dig at Ireland
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Rassie Erasmus has been enjoying himself this week.
The South African director of rugby, who coached his country to victory at the 2019 World Cup, poked fun at Ireland’s record on the biggest stage – the Irish have never made it to a World Cup semi-final.
“I was thinking about that when I read a few things on social media,” Erasmus told RTE.
“A few of my friends said that Ireland is our bogey team, but the World Cup is Ireland’s bogey competition.”
Kolisi wants to inspire…
Nienaber: Two well-matched teams
South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber believes tonight will prove to be a “well-matched” encounter, predicting there will be very little to split the two sides over the 80 minutes.
“I won’t say I am nervous, I am excited,” Nienaber said.
“It will be a proper Test match. It is number one against the world champion. Both sides have a good skillset, the average age of both squads is about the same, as are the number of caps.
“It will be a clash of two teams with experienced calm heads – two very well-matched teams.”
