Springbok selection won't influence Irish strategy 

FORWARD FOCUS: Scrum coach John Fogarty. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Ireland will not alter their selection strategy to counter South Africa’s policy of picking seven forward replacements.

Andy Farrell is set to name his matchday squad for the crunch World Cup Pool B encounter with the defending champions tomorrow afternoon when the Ireland squad arrives in Paris from their training base in Tours. 

The announcement will come almost 48 hours after counterpart Jacques Nienaber unveiled his 23-man selection, including a bench of seven replacements and one back.

It was a strategy employed in the Springboks’ pre-season clash with New Zealand at Twickenham on August 25, upgrading South Africa’s so-called ‘Bomb Squad’ into a battalion as Nienaber sent on all seven forwards at once early in the second half to hammer home a record 35-7 defeat for the All Blacks.

Ireland, though, were already dismissing any suggestion they might make allowances for the ploy with scrum coach John Fogarty saying yesterday that the Six Nations champions would pick the matchday squad that best suited them.

"We'll select the side that's the best side to represent the group and the country,” Fogarty said. “We're not overly thinking about what forwards are going to be on their bench or how they're going to do their job.

“We understand the South African scrum, the power that's in there and we have our plan. We'll look to impose our game for the 80 minutes, that's how we'll go about it and how we're going through our week.

"We're not discussing 'what if he comes on' or things like that. We're not racing through our week, we're making sure we fully understand the threats and the opportunities that exist and we're prepared to take advantage."

For all the Springboks’ forward firepower there was only one specialist hooker selected last night after the South African management decided not to make a like-for-like replacement following the loss of Malcolm Marx to injury. 

Back rower Deon Fourie will continue as back-up to Bongi Mbonambi having played that role in last Sunday’s 76-0 trouncing of Romania with fellow loose forward Marco van Staden also throwing lineouts during the game.

Former hooker Fogarty said he was not surprised that fit-again 2019 World Cup-winning fly-half Handre Pollard had been called up instead of a specialist number two.

"They've a world-class group of coaches, they understand each other very well,” the Ireland assistant said. “Deon Fourie has played hooker before, van Staden has been throwing.

"I'm not shocked, Pollard was the player they wanted."

Meanwhile, Fogarty announced a clean bill of health for Ireland ahead of selection, and though the management will give Dan Sheehan and Jack Conan every chance to prove their fitness, Finlay Bealham has been cleared for the Stade de France match.

Hooker Sheehan and No.8 Conan returned to full training last week following pre-season injuries while prop Bealham failed a Head Injury Assessment in Ireland’s 59-16 victory over Tonga in Nantes last Saturday.

Bealham, Tadhg Furlong’s back-up at tighthead, has been given the green light for selection in Paris this weekend having completed his return to play protocols while Fogarty on Tuesday reported the Sheehan and Conan would be further assessed as to their availability following today’s training session at Stade de la Chambrerie.

Of Bealham, he said: “He was obviously taken off the field at the weekend and failed at the weekend but he subsequently passed his tests. He’s perfect.

“He was in a scrum today and he’s good to go, symptom-free, our medics and World Rugby have cleared him fit to play. We’re delighted to have a full bill of health.”