Donal Lenihan: Key to toppling the Boks? Put them under pressure

Jacques Nienaber’s side appear to have timed their run to this tournament perfectly but are yet to reach their peak, which makes our Round 3 clash with them a 50/50 affair.

EBEN'S POSSE: Eben Etzebeth and his Sprinboks teammates. Pic: ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Steve Haag

I’M not sure who learned more from the opening weekend of activities: The respective teams or Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) in relation to their management of crowds and access to stadiums across a variety of venues.

Tickets are very expensive for these games and it’s ridiculous that fans who have made so much effort to turn up for a match with over an hour to spare still encountered difficulties in getting to their designated seats in time to watch the warm-ups and take in the national anthems.