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South Africa team to face Ireland already selected
By Jan De Koning
The preparations for South Africa’s crunch Pool B match against Ireland in Paris on Saturday will start in earnest on Monday.
However, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber revealed that their ‘selection views’ – on the team to face the men from the Emerald Isle – will be shared with the players before then.
Speaking after his team had put 76 unanswered points past a hapless Romania in Bordeaux on Sunday, the Bok coach said that they will now turn their attention to how to beat the world’s top-ranked team.
“From a selection point of view, we’re open and honest with the players,” he told @rugby365com.
“They know where our heads are at and how we look at things.
“We’ll share that with them even tonight [Sunday] – what we are thinking,” he said after the emphatic win in Bordeaux. “We certainly have an idea in our minds what we want to do for the next game.”
Nienaber added that there is ‘good internal competition’ within the Bok group.
“It is a very positive competition,” he added.
Nienaber used hooker Bongi Mbonambi as an example of how senior players help others in their position, despite the intense competition for starting places.
“There is nice competition and there is not a big gap between the players.”
He said those players ‘unlucky’ not to make the matchday squad will have the vital role of helping the matchday squad prepare.
“They will play the role of being ‘Ireland’ [in opposed training sessions] to ensure we get the right picture and are well prepared for Ireland.”
One name that is unlikely to be in the starting XV is recalled flyhalf Handre Pollard.
On Sunday he was called into the squad to fill the vacancy created by hooker Malcolm Marx – who was ruled out of the World Cup in France earlier this week due to a knee injury.
However, the coaching staff would most likely afford him the ability to ease himself back into the Bok system.
They may consider playing him off the bench, but Manie Libbok will wear the No.10 jersey.
Speaking about the match against Ireland and potential quarterfinal opponents, he said: “It will be a big game in terms of who finishes one and two in the pool, but there are still games to play after this match.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead.
“If it’s Italy, if it’s France or New Zealand, it’s going to be a tough quarterfinal, it doesn’t matter who we play.”
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Latest Comments
It is if he thinks he’s got hold of the ball and there is at least one other player between him and the ball carrier, which is why he has to reach around and over their heads. Not a deliberate action for me.
Go to commentsI understand, but England 30 years ago were a set piece focused kick heavy team not big on using backs.
Same as now.
South African sides from any period will have a big bunch of forwards smashing it up and a first five booting everything in their own half.
NZ until recently rarely if ever scrummed for penalties; the scrum is to attack from, broken play, not structured is what we’re after.
Same as now.
These are ways of playing very ingrained into the culture.
If you were in an English club team and were off to Fiji for a game against a club team you’d never heard of and had no footage of, how would you prepare?
For a forward dominated grind or would you assume they will throw the ball about because they are Fijian?
A Fiji way. An English way.
An Australian way depends on who you’ve scraped together that hasn’t been picked off by AFL or NRL, and that changes from generation to generation a lot of the time.
Actually, maybe that is their style. In fact, yes they have a style.
Nevermind. Fuggit I’ve typed it all out now.
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