Nienaber reveals why he's gone for 7-1 split against Ireland

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber has revealed why he has once again gone for the risky 7-1 split, this time against Ireland in their crunch Pool B match in Stade de France on Saturday.

Nienaher has gone for a bench of Deon Fourie, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Jean Kleyn, RG Snyman, Marco van Staden, Kwagga Smith and just one back - scrumhalf Cobus Reinach.

The split was the main topic of discussion at the press conference on Tuesday.

"Like any team selection, we went with that because we believe that’s the best way for us to make sure we get a result on the weekend.

"We always try to be as physical and intense as possible. We always say you can’t plan for a good start, but you can always plan for an intense start. We will definitely try to be as intense as possible from the start, as I think they would as well."

Nienaber insisted that the fact that the Boks used the same split in the warm-up win over New Zealand didn't influence his selection against the world No.1s.

"It worked well in that specific game. The bench had a big impact, not only in that game but also on the weekend [against Romania].

"We analysed Ireland and after looking at them and what they bring and what we think we will need in this specific game from a tactical point of view and trying to counter everything they do - that’s the reason we went with seven-one.

"I don’t think necessarily Ireland and New Zealand are similar in how they do things. It’s for this specific game.

"The ‘bomb squad’ that came on against Scotland also had a big impact. That’s what we want.

"I don’t call them finishers or stuff like that. The guys that start and guys who come off the bench have a role to fulfil. That’s why when we talk about our front-rowers, we don’t talk about first choice or second choice. It doesn’t necessarily work like that in our team.

"The guys who start have a specific role to perform and the moment we see that being achieved, we bring the other guys off the bench."

The tactic creates a scenario where forward could potentially haver to fill in for back if there are more than one enfocred change during the 80 minutes, a risk the Boks' brain trust seem happy to live with, although he wouldn't reveal who he would ask to do so with, saying "That is tactics!"

"Obviously people look at it and say it’s a risk, but for us it’s a calculated risk. There are guys on that bench who cover various positions, but that is not something I’d like to go into too much because it is probably more tactical.

"I don’t want to talk too much about tactics. We have a lot of versatility in the squad and we showed that on the weekend by playing four nines [scrum-halves]. But we are comfortable with the risk we are taking."

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JULY 15: Kwagga Smith of South Africa
(R) during The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and South Africa Springboks at Mt Smart Stadium on July 15, 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)

"It’s a week that you want to be involved with. It will be the same for them; the analysis they do on us and the plans they make for us, and the plans we make for them to see if it will work on Saturday. That’s the thrill of it."

It was put to Nienaber that a new name might need to replace the 'Bomb squad' monniker that has become so widely used when referring to South Africa's bench.

"That will probably be up to the media, they will decide that."

"I won’t say I’m nervous, I’m excited. It’s going to be a proper test match [between] two teams that have a good skill set.

"If you look at their squad versus our squad, you’re probably going to find that they have a very experienced squad, probably between 29 or 30 years of age. We’re probably between 29 and 30 years of age.

"If you look at the amount of test cap experience we have on average per player, it will probably be between 40 and 45. If they select the guys that we think they’re going to select, it will also be around about 40 or 45.

"It’s going to be a clash of two teams that have good experience; good, cool, calm heads. They will be similar in the amount of guys that are over 30, so I think it’s two squads that will be very well matched on the day. 

"That’s the exciting part, to see if our plans will work against them. Will we be able to handle the pressure they put us under? There will be ebbs and flows in the game. Will they be able to handle the pressure that’s on them? Because at the end of the day this is an important game for both teams.

"It’s only the third game of the pool, but if Ireland slip up in this game, their Scotland game becomes massive. (If) we slip against them in this game, our Tonga game becomes massive.

"So there will be pressure in this game. It’s exciting to see how the players will handle it."