Autumn tour: South Africa face the Irish test

The last meeting between South Africa and Ireland did not go well for the Springboks. They were humbled by the Irish in Dublin in 2017 (38-3). This Saturday, 5 November, South Africa have a golden chance to avenge that defeat. The reigning world champions open their European tour against this formidable Ireland side. And it will not be easy, admits South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth.

"They have a good forward pack, and we saw against New Zealand that they have a powerful maul and scrum. In fact, they won a lot of scrum penalties in that series and, on top of that, they are very efficient at stoppages. So it is a well-drilled side". He adds: "They won a series against the All Blacks in New Zealand earlier in the year and they are currently ranked the number one team in the world, so it will be an excellent test for us."

At the Rugby World Cup, the Springboks will face this same Ireland side in Pool A. It is a good opportunity for Jacques Nienaber's men to test themselves against the current best team in world rugby. But Eben Etzebeth sees it as just a friendly. "Facing them at the Rugby World Cup next year will also add spice to the contest, but for us as a team, this will be a different challenge in itself. We have a long tour ahead of us, and it is only the first match, and that is how we are approaching it as a team," he said.

After Ireland, the Springboks will play France in Marseille, Italy in Genoa and England in London. These are fine fixtures that will allow coach Jacques Nienaber to fine-tune his game plan ahead of the World Cup, scheduled for next year in France.