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2024 South Africa vs Ireland

South Africa Vs. Ireland Preview: Next Chapter In Rugby's Spiciest Rivalry

South Africa Vs. Ireland Preview: Next Chapter In Rugby's Spiciest Rivalry

South Africa will host Ireland in their second rugby test match on Saturday, July 13 in Durban. Here is a full match preview ahead of the meeting.

Jul 12, 2024 by Philip Bendon
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The witching hour is upon us, folks, as international rugby’s top two nations renew their rivalry for one last time this season.

Taking the honors in Round 1, the world champion South Africa simply could not shake a resilient Irish side, despite starting the fixture at a ferocious pace. 

In the end, the contest would follow a similar pattern to the previous two meetings between the sides, which were decided by a couple of crucial decisions.

This starts with Ireland’s mercurial winger James Lowe, who had a performance he will never forget. 

Appearing to score what would have been a go-ahead try, Lowe was recalled by referee Luke Pearce for a breakdown infringement (more on that later). The Leinster star would then set up two tries, one of which was for the Springboks, as he rather head-scratchingly attempted to keep a ball in play. He redeemed himself with a superb effort to set up Ryan Baird for a late try. 

Combining these moments with a generally industrious showing, Lowe’s performance alone was worth tuning in for.

On the other side of the ball, the Springboks were in previous form as they unveiled their newfound love for attractive attacking rugby under new attack coach Tony Brown. 

Bringing in the former All Black was yet another masterstroke from head coach Rassie Erasmus, who once again has shown an ability to expand his side’s horizons with new voices and new ideas. 

Should the Boks continue on this trajectory, the back-to-back world champions will arrive at the next Rugby World Cup in 2027 with such an array of playing styles that would make them nigh on impossible to halt. 

Alas, in the here and now, while their attack was impressive, it was far from perfect, which in itself is a frightening prospect.

Team News

As the kids say, Erasmus ‘flexed’ on his opponents this week when he named an unchanged side for the series decider.

Ireland, on the flip side, has been forced into further changes, as Craig Casey, Bundee Aki and Dan Sheehan all are unavailable due to injury.

Ironically, these injuries, while far from ideal, have forced Farrell’s hand into picking a uniquely exciting and left-field side.

Headlining the changes was the dropping of captain Peter O’Mahony, who relinquished his starting role for a spot on the bench. In his place, Munster colleague Tadhg Beirne will slip back from the second row to the back row, with Leinster stalwart James Ryan recapturing his starting role following a tumultuous 12months. 

Elsewhere in the pack, it is an all-Leinster affair, as the other positions, outside of Ronan Kelleher replacing Sheehan, remain the same.

Behind this powerful-looking eight, Ireland’s back line has more balance than Pretoria, as Garry Ringrose returns to the No. 13 shirt to partner with Robbie Henshaw in midfield. 

By returning the silky-smooth Ringrose, Farrell and defensive coach Simon Easterby will be confident that their defense will be more resolute at the beginning of the fixture than it was a week ago. 

While the pairing of Aki and Henshaw is about as powerful as it gets, it does lack the distribution and playmaking skills Ringrose brings in attack.

In the wider channels, Farrell has resisted the urge to make a change, as Calvin Nash, James Lowe and last week’s debutant, Jamie Osbourne, remain in situ.

Pulling the strings for Ireland is the Munster pairing of Conor Murray and Jack Crowley, who both were impressive in open play last weekend. 

For Murray, the chance to get a rare start is a significant opportunity for him to press his case for further inclusion in Irish squads, given his age profile. 

Outside his experienced clubmate, Crowley will need to find his kicking boots following a rather erratic showing at altitude last weekend.

Key Match Up

Across the board, this match has individual battles galore, but it is the head-to-head matchup between Tadhg Beirne and Pieter-Steph Du Toit that has box office written all over it.

Both men are talismanic figures for their respective sides as both players and leaders. 

While their previous clashes have come with Beirne in the lock position, this weekend’s direct confrontation looks set to lead to fireworks, as the two players almost certainly will find themselves carrying frequently, as well as being pitted against one another at the breakdown.

Of their upcoming clashes, the breakdown no doubt will be the key area of contention, given how crucial it is to the up-tempo Irish attack and, to a lesser extent, the newfound wide game of the Boks. 

Despite coming up just short last weekend and being routinely reported as slightly off the mark at the breakdown, Ireland still held the edge on the stats sheet in this area. Securing 58% of their rucks in under five seconds, in comparison to their host's 46%, Ireland proved that despite the law changes around the jackal, they are still razor-sharp in this department. 

This pace paid dividends in the final 10 minutes, as Ireland scored two sublime tries to come roaring back into the contest. 

To avoid a repeat of this and, more importantly, stop the men in green from getting rolling early, PSDT and his Boks pack will need to muddy the waters and hassle the cool and composed Murray; otherwise, they will be cut open by the Irish attack.

Prediction

Bucking the trend, this writer has always felt, and predicted, that the series would end with each team winning one meeting - the Boks winning at altitude, and Ireland recovering at sea level.

Throwing a spanner in the works for this prediction has been the Irish injury, with Casey and Sheehan both being key contributors in the first test. Yet, while both men’s presence this week would have added depth to the Irish squad, their replacements are more than willing and able. 

Throw into the mix a more balanced look to the side, and a potential emotional step down from the fired-up Boks, and there is a real opportunity in front of Farrell’s side.

Ditching the devil’s advocate approach for a moment, the Boks should win this fixture based on the sheer depth and experience of their squad. If they are to do so, they will need to wear down the Irish set piece early to stem the tide of their rapid attack. 

Also, the key will be a return to form from the kicking tee for Handre Pollard, who had an uncharacteristically poor showing in this department.

Sticking my neck on the line, and based on how the two sides finished last week, Ireland will edge this one to add another spicy chapter to what is fast becoming Rugby’s most heated rivalry. Ireland by six.

Lineups:

South Africa

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche

Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

Ireland

15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter

Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey

Ireland Rugby Schedule 2024

South Africa Rugby Schedule 2024

World Rugby Rankings 2024

  1. South Africa, 94.86
  2. Ireland, 90.37
  3. New Zealand, 90.12
  4. France, 88.49
  5. England, 85.66
  6. Scotland, 82.82
  7. Argentina, 80.10
  8. Australia, 78.15
  9. Italy, 77.99
  10. Fiji, 77.44
  11. Wales, 76.58
  12. Japan, 74.04
  13. Samoa, 73.65
  14. Georgia, 72.95
  15. Tonga, 71.57
  16. Portugal, 70.28
  17. Uruguay, 67.39
  18. USA, 66.01
  19. Spain, 64.37
  20. Romania, 63.59

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