Ireland v South Africa: Who'll lay down a marker in primetime showdown?

Andy Farrell says his side are ready for the challenge the Boks will bring.

QUEIT WORD: Head Coach Andy Farrell. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Separating the occasion from the objective has been a theme of the messaging from the Ireland camp this week as they have prepared to face South Africa but as World Cup pool matches go, the rest of us can sit back in appreciation of the prospects for a proper barnstormer.

The two highest-ranked teams in the world, top dogs and Grand Slam winners Ireland versus defending champions South Africa at a sold-out and green-tinged Stade de France under the lights in prime time – if that doesn’t whet the appetite for a Saturday night’s entertainment then nothing will.

That it is not a do-or-die affair matters little for the stakes remain high, with consequences for both teams’ potential paths through the knockout stages on the line and Pool B rivals Scotland still with plenty of skin of the game with a date against the Irish here in the same stadium two weeks today.

“It's not a must-win. It's not a do-or-die type of game but it's pretty important to both teams, let's put it that way,” Ireland boss Andy Farrell said this week as he named his strongest possible line-up in response to opposite number Jacques Nienaber’s decision to field the same XV that overcame Scotland 18-3 in round one.

“It's always nice to win but I suppose we've always looked at ourselves mainly as the performance is concerned so it's a big game,” the Irish head coach continued. “There will be over 30,000 Irish supporters there in a stadium we know well and we want to get back there and get back to winning ways there. It's a challenge that we're ready for, looking forward to and it's coming soon.” 

Clearly winning in front of an estimated 30,000 Irish supporters would be preferable this evening, giving the victors a healthy chance of topping the pool and a likely avoidance of tournament hosts France on their home patch in the quarter-finals.

Both outfits are brimming with confidence after impressive displays and morale-boosting bodies of work compiled over the last 18 months and this is a contest that genuinely feels like a 50-50 toss-up. The bookmakers are siding with Springboks yet there is little to suggest Ireland are in any shape or form in the underdogs’ category despite the lauding of their opponents this week.

“It’s a tough one on both sides of the ball,” captain Johnny Sexton said. “Their defence is obviously renowned for its line speed. So we’ll have to be on top of our game when we have the ball. And then obviously the way they’ve been playing recently in terms of going wide, and then direct in certain areas of the field, and obviously a strong kicking game. They question every facet of your game and that’s why they’re world champions.” Sexton was spot on. The Springboks will challenge Ireland’s strengths and exploit any area that is not up to its optimum best. Throw ball out wide, they have a three-quarter line to pick off any stray pass and ruthlessly expose the space in behind. Be anything less than 100 per cent accurate at lineout or scrum time and the consequences for launching an attacking platform are desperately compromised, likewise in contact at the breakdown, with three openside flankers among the seven forwards and one lone back straining at the leash on the South African bench.

Forwards coach Paul O’Connell yesterday expressed the management’s wish for Ireland’s players to do what they do best and figure out those challenges for themselves, echoing Andy Farrell’s oft-repeated request for the individuals in his accomplished squad to stay true to themselves in those pressurised moments and back their belief to be able to execute their skills under duress.

“We've had a Test series decider down in New Zealand in Wellington, we've had a Grand Slam decider, we've had a tough autumn series against some very tricky opposition and the boys have always found a way and figured it out. It's a real strength of theirs.

“They've going to have play super well tomorrow but they're also going to have to figure things out and it's something I really enjoy watching them do when they have a challenge in front of them, how they manage to figure it out as a group and they're going to have to do that at the weekend.” Ireland undoubtedly have the wherewithal to answer those inevitable questions coming down the track tonight and also pose some threats themselves on a team they can ill afford to place on too a high a pedestal. Recent history suggests this is a team in no danger of falling into that trap and if they stick to Farrell’s plan they can reap the rewards and earn themselves the best possible opportunity to go farther in this competition than any of their predecessors in green.

It may not be pretty, it will definitely be the next sheer cliff face to climb having scaled previous heights, but Ireland have all the necessary equipment to reach their objective tonight.

IRELAND: H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster) - captain, J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), R Kelleher (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster); T Beirne (Munster), J Ryan (Leinster); P O’Mahony (Munster), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).

Replacements: D Sheehan (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), F Bealham (Connacht), I Henderson (Ulster), R Baird (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster).

SOUTH AFRICA: D Willemse (Stormers); K-L Arendse (Bulls), J Kriel (Canon Eagles), D de Allende (Wild Knights), C Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath); M Libbok (Stormers), F de Klerk (Canon Eagles); S Kitshoff (Ulster), B Mbonambi (Sharks) F Malherbe (Stormers); E Etzebeth (Sharks), F Mostert (Honda Heat); S Kolisi (Racing 92) – captain, P-S du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), J Wiese (Leicester Tigers).

Replacements: D Fourie (Stormers), O Nche (Sharks), T Nyakane (Racing 92), J Kleyn (Munster), RG Snyman (Munster), M van Staden (Bulls), K Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), C Reinach (Montpellier).

Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) end