South Africa offered no excuses for their disappointing defeat against Ireland on Saturday with coach Allister Coetzee ordering his players to go and “fix it”.

Conor Murray believes any intimidation targeted towards team-mate CJ Stander during Ireland’s Test series with South Africa this month will merely serve to motivate the Munster back row.

South Africa have recalled World Cup winners JP Pietersen and Schalk Burger among five changes for Saturday’s QBE International against England at Twickenham.

“It’s great to have two players that fill one spot and that allows you to fill it right up.”

In the lead-up to facing Ireland anyone wearing a Springbok tracksuit proclaimed that the Autumn tour to Ireland, Britain and Italy was the beginning of their World Cup preparation and not an isolated sequence of games.

Not a move endorsed by Julie Andrews, never mind rehearsed on the training field under the watchful eye of Joe Schmidt, but let’s start at the very end, writes Enda McEvoy. 

Coach Heyneke Meyer has announced the South African team that will play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in the first of Ireland’s Autumn rugby internationals.

Having made his Ireland debut in the defeat to South Africa last Saturday, Ricahrdt Strauss is determined to improve aspects of his game as he hopes to earn more caps in the green jersey.

He had waited three years to pull on an Ireland jersey and it took just three minutes for his long-awaited Test debut to unravel.

Ireland 12 South Africa 16

South Africa head coach Heyneke Meyer has entrusted 22-year-old Pat Lambie with flyhalf responsibilities for Saturday’s meeting with Ireland in the Aviva Stadium (5.30pm).

Argentina 16 South Africa 16

Barbarians 26 South Africa 20

Juan Smith will captain South Africa when they take on the Barbarians next weekend in their final match of the season, it has been announced today.

WINGER Bryan Habana’s fractured a bone in his hand during training and will take no further part in South Africa’s tour of Britain and Ireland.

South Africa head coach Peter de Villiers has named 11 uncapped players in his preliminary 39-man training squad for their Grand Slam tour of Britain and Ireland.

Rob Kearney has warned South Africa that Ireland are ready to match them in the physicality stakes at Croke Park tomorrow.

BIGGER THAN the Lions, and bigger than the Tri-Nations decider. That’s how the visiting World Cup champion Springboks are looking at tomorrow’s clash with Ireland in Croke Park, according to assistant coach Gary Gold, who said yesterday that he “had not encountered anything as big as the build-up to Saturday . . . the pressure and expectations are bigger than they were before the first Lions Test in Durban or that final Tri-Nations clash in Hamilton.”

South Africa have made six changes for Saturday’s test at Croke Park against Ireland.

SOUTH AFRICAN coach Peter de Villiers has scotched suggestions that there will be an element of bad blood between his players and some of their Irish counterparts this Saturday.

AUSTRALIA have made just one change to their starting XV for Saturday’s autumn international against Scotland.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made four changes from the team beaten by France last weekend for Saturday’s clash with Italy in Udine.

Peter de Villiers has named three uncapped players in his South African XV to face a Namibian Invitational XV in Windhoek on Friday.

SOUTH AFRICA coach Peter De Villiers has made some tough calls ahead of tomorrow night’s Tri-Nations Test in Perth against Australia with the Springboks looking to head home with another win.