Springboks v Ireland preview: ‘Dark arts’ to seal series nilling as Rassie Erasmus’ charges finish the job

The highly-anticipated Springboks and Ireland series comes to a thrilling end on Saturday in Durban in what promises to be a mighty encounter.

It’s a heavyweight clash of epic proportions as we get a repeat of the Loftus showdown on South Africa’s East Coast.

The eagerly anticipated series has lived up to its billing so far, being marketed as ‘unfinished business’ by the hosts due to Ireland’s record against South Africa since 2017, but in Test I, the Boks finally got the monkey off their back, beating the men from the Emerald Isle.

It marked the first time that Rassie Erasmus had clinched a win over the Irish since returning to the Springboks fold and set up a mighty finale in Kings Park Stadium, where the series will be decided.

For Ireland, the match marks one final hit-out before they bring their long, gruelling season to a close and an opportunity to be the first team to roll over the world champions since the Boks’ success in 2023. Andy Farrell’s charges certainly put up a mighty fight on Highveld, with the ebb and flow of the encounter constantly changing with a few tight decisions and blunders ultimately deciding the fixture.

As for the Springboks, they are only starting their 2024 international campaign, having kicked off their year with a 41-13 win over Wales and edging the Irish 27-20 last week.

It all sets the stage for an epic tussle between the two best sides in the world looking to finish off the job.

Where the game will be won

As a general rule, Durban produces error-strewn matches, especially when humidity plays a role. Saturday is set to be rather sticky conditions, leading us to believe that the battle in the air and at the set-piece will be paramount in the final result.

We saw the influence the scrum had on the outcome in Pretoria, with the Springboks’ replacements securing a crucial penalty try to win the match, and Test II will be no different.

Ireland got parity and some for most of the first Test match and must do the same again if they are to level the series. There were just eight scrums and a massive 26 lineouts in Test I, highlighting how important the set-piece has been in the series so far, and with the conditions and brutality in contact, the former statistic is bound to inflate.

Last time they met

What they said

Springboks head coach Erasmus is expecting a huge response from Ireland on Saturday following the defeat at Loftus.

“We’ve been on the wrong side of the scoreboard on a few occasions against them and we remember how it felt to suffer a defeat against them in the World Cup pool stages,” Erasmus said.

“We have no doubt that they are feeling the same this week that we did then.

“They are a proud team and nation and will be disappointed that they were unable to capitalise on a few opportunities last week. So they will work hard this week on fixing their mistakes to ensure they convert chances into points this time.

“It is going to be another tough, physical match, and just like us, they will be determined to correct what went wrong for them last week. They will be motivated to draw the series, and that will provide them with strong motivation.”

Veteran scrum-half Conor Murray confirmed much of what Erasmus believes is the case as Ireland look to level the series and highlighted the impact of Tony Brown on the Bok attack.

“I think in fairness, they attacked really well in the first half especially, and we fixed it, or dealt with it, better in the second half in terms of our own defensive line,” Murray said.

“They were going wide-wide quite a bit, which we kind of expected, with Tony Brown as their next attack coach.

“We knew there would be a little bit of a difference from them, but they’ve real good threats out wide. We kind of got our head around that in the second half, and got ourselves back into the game. A couple of moments where we’d like to have done a little bit better.

“Overall, a really physical game, they’re World Cup champions back for a first game at home and they really brought it physically. The breakdown was difficult, but as soon as we got a bit of quick ball, we looked dangerous.

“Andy [Farrell] said ‘no feeling sorry for ourselves’, and I don’t think we should. We have a right go of it for next week.”

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Players to watch

Cheslin Kolbe was sensational in Pretoria, delivering game-deciding moments for the Springboks, and the brilliant outside back has a track record for producing in the big matches – don’t be surprised if he pitches up with more magic again this weekend. He needs little introduction or explanation of his strengths, with an incredible catalogue backing up his big-match temperament.

All eyes will be on Kwagga Smith yet again as the back-rower pulls on the Green and Gold number eight jersey for a second week in a row. There is no doubting Smith’s ability around the park but his blunders under the high ball saw him cop some criticism. He was excellent at the breakdown as per usual, carried more than any other player in Test I and was one of only two Bok forwards to go the full 80. He was a match-winner for South Africa during the World Cup play-offs last year and is bound to have his say on Saturday.

Damian de Allende has been steaming along at a good pace so far for the Springboks but will look to crank it up a notch or two, with the centre bound to be rested against Portugal. The powerhouse Bok midfielder claimed the series would be ‘war’ and his soldiers are up to charge into the men in green.

Garry Ringrose has been elevated to the starting XV after a standout performance from the bench last time out. It’s been a tough season fitness-wise for the 29-year-old and he has a real challenge on his hands lining up against Jesse Kriel.

Shifting from the engine room to the back-row, Tadhg Beirne is freed up at the scrums to get stuck into the Springboks’ breakdown more regularly. The Irish forward was incredible during the Six Nations and will be keen to lay down a marker in every facet of the game.

After a try-scoring debut in Pretoria and Jamie Osborne retains the starting number 15 jumper on Saturday. The Springboks didn’t test the rookie back too much under the high ball on the Highveld, but with slippery conditions in Durban, he might face an aerial bombardment.

Main head-to-head

As mentioned above, the set-piece will be the main battleground on Saturday, considering the conditions and how things played out at Loftus Verfeld. Last time out, Andrew Porter got the upper hand against Frans Malherbe in the scrums, and the pair will set the tone for this game’s outcome.

The Boks bemoaned Irish trickery in the scrummaging dark arts in Pretoria, and if that is the case, they have made the officials well aware of it. Porter is no slouch in the set-pieces, but during the match, the Bok pack complained of being denied a good hit, and as a powerful man, the Irish loosehead thrives in exploding after the initial contact. As for Malherbe, the Bok tighthead is all about technique and dominating the initial hit.

The battle between Ox Nche and Tadhg Furlong should not be overlooked but the action on the other side of the scrum is bound to be where the set-piece will be decided.

Ireland accused of scrummaging dark arts as Bongi Mbonambi calls for a ‘fair contest’

Prediction

Our prediction last week was spot on as we called the Springboks’ bench playing a crucial role in the game’s outcome and the hosts winning by a one-score margin and while we are bound to enjoy another hotly contested encounter, it looks to be more weighted in South Africa’s favour.

Ireland have lost much of their spine with Dan Sheehan, Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan all out and while the Springboks have their own injury concerns, it has been less impactful.

It will be no easy feat, but all signs point to a series nilling as the Springboks send Ireland packing, claiming a win by a margin of more than a converted try but only just beating Ireland by eight points.

Previous results

2024: South Africa won 27-10 in Pretoria
2023: Ireland won 13-8 in Paris
2022: Ireland won 19-16 in Dublin
2017: Ireland won 38-3 in Dublin
2016: South Africa won 19-13 in Port Elizabeth
2016: South Africa won 32-26 in Johannesburg
2016: Ireland won 26-20 in Cape Town
2014: South Africa won 29-15 in Dublin
2012: South Africa won 16-12 in Dublin
2010: South Africa won 23-21 in Dublin
2009: Ireland won 15-10 in Dublin
2006: Ireland won 32-15 in Dublin

READ MORE: Ireland team winners and losers as Andy Farrell gambles on ‘reluctant’ captain against Springboks while midfield gets much-needed shake-up

The teams

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Date: Saturday, July 13
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:00 local (16:00 BST)
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (RFU), Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)