Kleyn and Springboks begin World Cup prep in shortened Rugby Championship

Questions and concerns for all four Southern Hemisphere sides as truncated tournament gets underway in Pretoria and Mendoza on Saturday

LOCKED IN: Munster second row Jean Kleyn gets moving at South Africa's Captain’s Run in Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria on Friday. Pic: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag

While Richie Murphy's stoic and scintillating Ireland U20 side will be catching many of the eyes in South Africa this weekend on U20 World Cup semi-final duty, the dawn of a truncated Rugby Championship has more than a little Irish interest too. 

In a World Cup year that would naturally be the case. But with the reigning-champion Springboks awaiting Andy Farrell's Ireland in Group B come the autumn and the addition of Munster's Irish international (but more recently Irish-overlooked) lock Jean Kleyn in South Africa's second row for Saturday's opener against Australia, there are layers of intrigue. 

The tournament may be half as long this year but has huge importance in gauging the readiness of the southern hemisphere powerhouses ahead of September and October's gathering France when they clash over the month of July for the coveted trophy.

The fixture list has been cut from six games to three to allow for World Cup warm-up matches. South Africa host Australia in Pretoria and New Zealand travel to Mendoza to meet Argentina in the opening fixtures on Saturday.

Australia play their first matches under returning coach Eddie Jones, never one to be shy of a word or a well-conceived plan. Asked if there was is a broad style of rugby he’d like to see his Australia team pursue to get back among the contenders for the World Cup this year, Jones responded in typical Jones fashion. 

“Like mongrel dogs running around," he said. "That is where we are at our best."

The Springboks won the shortened Rugby Championship in 2019 on their way to lifting the World Cup in Japan and, as they did four years ago, will split their squad for the first two games.

Along with the addition of Kleyn they have selected a mixture of experience and newer players for the home test against Australia as another group of players left for New Zealand in order to acclimatise for their clash in Auckland on July 15. They have two huge injury concerns in captain Siya Kolisi and key flyhalf Handre Pollard. Both sit out the entire Championship.

"Our plan from the outset was to select a squad that we believe has what it takes to beat Australia while at the same time selecting a group of players that could travel to New Zealand to give us the best possible chance to do well in both matches," coach Jacques Nienaber said. "Our last Rugby Championship match is in Johannesburg (against Argentina) and then we’ll be able to select a squad from our full complement of players."

Argentina claimed a first ever win in New Zealand in last year’s Championship and later beat Jones’ England at Twickenham.

Coach Michael Cheika has gone for continuity with his squad selection, though he is without suspended flanker Marcos Kremer for the entire Championship campaign.

With files from AP/Reuters