Analysing Ireland's Rugby World Cup opponents

Two of Ireland's Pool B opponents will be confirmed in World Cup qualifiers

A view of the completed pool draw at Palais Brongniart, Paris. Picture: INPHO/Getty Images/World Rugby Pool Pics/Aurelien Meunier

SOUTH AFRICA

World ranking at Jan 1, 2020: 1

World ranking today: 1 — but have not played since 2019 RWC due to Covid.

Last World Cup: Champions.

Overall v Ireland: P26 W18 D1 L7

RWC v Ireland: Never met at a World Cup

Last 5 v Ireland: W2 L3

Nov 11, 2017: Ire 38-3, Dublin.

Jun 25, 2016: SA 19-13, Port Elizabeth.

Jun 18, 2016: SA 32-26, Johannesburg.

Jun 11, 2016: Ire 26-20, Cape Town.

Nov 8, 2014: Ire 29-15, Dublin.

Head coach: Jacques Nienaber.

Captain: Siya Kolisi.

Anyone we know? Nienaber was Munster defence coach under World Cup-winning head coach Rassie Erasmus, who also took the province’s head of athletic performance Aled Walters with him when they jumped ship in November 2017.

Erasmus then signed up Felix Jones to his coaching team after the former full-back quit as attack coach at the end of the 2018-19 season and they all helped the Boks to the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan 13 months ago.

Walters has moved on but Nienaber said yesterday that Jones remains on his staff, as a European-based assistant keeping an eye on the exiled Boks — World Cup winners RG Snyman and Damian de Allende now play with Munster and Springbok back-rower Marcell Coetzee is with Ulster.

Any beef? There will be a touch of spice when these two meet in France thanks to the Springboks’ documentary Chasing the Sun about their 2019 victory. In it, Erasmus delivers a team talk ahead of their semi-final with Wales and warns his players that the Welsh are not “soft” like the Irish. That touched a nerve in the Ireland camp last month.

Nienaber’s draw reaction: “I must say I’m really excited. If you look at the pool I think we would really have to be on top of our game just to get out of the pool. The nice thing about it, there’s no two ways about it, it’s funny to think that either South Africa, Scotland or Ireland might not make it into the play-off stages. It’s going to be a tough pool, but we are looking forward to it very much.”

SCOTLAND

World ranking at Jan 1, 2020: 9

World ranking today: 7.

Last World Cup: 3rd in pool.

Overall v Ireland: P138 W66 L66 D1, 1 abandoned.

RWC v Ireland: P2 W1 L1

Pool: Sep 22, 2019: Ire 27-3, Yokohama.

Pool: Oct 4, 1991: Scot 24-15

Last 5 v Ireland: W0 L5

Dec 5, 2020: Ire 31-16, Dublin.

Feb 1, 2020: Ire 19-12, Dublin.

Sep 22, 2019: Ire 27-3, Yokohama.

Feb 9, 2019: Ire 22-13, Edinburgh.

Mar 10, 2018: Ire 28-8, Dublin

Head coach: Gregor Townsend.

Captain: Stuart Hogg

Anyone we know? You could say that. The Scots are familiar foes thanks to the Guinness PRO14 and the annual Six Nations dust-ups while veteran wing Tommy Seymour went to school in Belfast and played for Ireland Under-19s and Ulster before signing for Glasgow and declaring for Scotland.

Any beef? There’s always a bit of bite when these Celtic cousins meet and Ireland’s recent dominance, including 16 wins out of 20 Six Nations meetings and the last five overall, including the recent Autumn Nations Cup victory, ensures a simmering frustration from any Scottish side. 

At provincial level too, there’s plenty of niggle, particularly between Munster and Glasgow Warriors, while Townsend’s forwards coach Dan McFarland left the national set-up to take over as head coach at Ulster, whose CEO Johnny Petrie is a former Scotland flanker.

Townsend’s draw reaction: “There’s an excitement now when you see the draw and you think ahead to Paris in two years’ time and a wonderful tournament and then there’s a reality of who you’re going to play against.

“I believe on current world rankings Ireland are ranked fifth, South Africa are ranked first and we’re ranked seventh. So all three teams are in the top eight in the world which means it’s going to be very competitive.”