'They're just hard b******s! They don't pick soft players'

Former Ireland back-rower Alan Quinlan has described the Springboks as “hard b******s” and tipped them to beat Andy Farrell’s No1-ranked Irish by six points on Saturday night in Paris. The heavyweight Pool B meeting at Stade de France between the team unbeaten since July 2022 and the defending champions from 2019 has become the talk of the Rugby World Cup outside of Thursday night’s injury to France skipper Antoine Dupont.

Ireland come into the fixture having beaten Romania and Tonga in recent weeks, while the Springboks got their campaign going with wins over Scotland and Romania.

There have been multiple predictions in recent days about how the clash will pan out and the latest to join the debate is former Irish forward Quinlan, who featured twice for his country when they were beaten in the two-game series in South Africa in 2004.

Speaking about the latest Rugby World Cup odds, Quinlan wasn’t shy with his description of the Springboks. “It's like playing against a really confrontational group of 15 players. There are certain players who play the game and they are narky or they have this poker face on and there are other guys who are more relaxed and you can nearly have a laugh with them walking to a lineout.

“They are not as intense as South Africa's template and this is not an insult, and it’s in their DNA that they are completely confrontational. To put on that jersey you have got to fight for not just your rugby team but you feel that they are kind of fighting for a bigger picture all the time.

“When you are tackling guys, even at the very top level, you know, you don't have to be at a hundred percent; an 80 per cent effort can put in a good functional tackle and get an impact. Against South Africa, you have got to be ready a hundred per cent every time because there is just a fight there, an aggression that is not dirty in any way.

“But their mentality goes back to history. They have had to fight for everything. They are just hard b******s! They don't pick soft players. They look at players that have got to be confrontational, aggressive and in your face. First and foremost, they want to run over you. So that is what you get when you play South Africa all the time.

“You don't get it when you play Wales, Scotland, England, even New Zealand. Other teams try and run around you a little bit. The problem we all have now with rugby is that South Africa can run over you but they can now also run around you if they need to.

“They are a great side. It is not just about power and strength; they are so intelligent, tuned in and really well-coached. They are brilliant players who are really skilful when they need to be. They are more than just a physically direct side, far more than that. That worries me a lot. And if they get their set-piece rumbling they will make it very difficult for Ireland.

“It’s not as if they are 150, 200 kilos heavier than any other team. They are just very powerful. They are aggressive players who have become really good technically.

"They have a high work rate and you have just got to do the simple basics really well. There are certain types of Test matches where you can get away with losing a couple of lineouts or one or two scrums, maybe a couple of turnovers.

“You just sense that with South Africa, because they are the world champions and they are peaking at the right time and have shown the depth they have in their squads, you can’t do that. They probably put the fear of God in everyone after they beat New Zealand at Twickenham. Beating Wales was a really scary performance as well.”

With that in mind, Quinlan predicted a Springboks win but he wouldn’t be surprised if victory is Ireland’s. “One part of me is confident that Ireland can win this game and I think they, of course they can.

"They are good enough. They probably need to get a fair bit right. They need to not give South Africa big gain lines and they need to be really good in the air for their set-piece.

“South Africa need to be really wary and mindful of this is a very good Irish side. They are capable of scoring lots of points and they are actually capable of taking punishment as well and bouncing back. They can dust themselves off pretty quickly.

“However, I will say South Africa by six. I just think they can nullify Ireland and stop them playing. That might not be the worst thing for Ireland in terms of the rest of the tournament. It will be really tight and I have said the Boks by about six, but I will be absolutely not surprised if Ireland win this game.”