The stage is set. The talking is done. The stakes are determined.
At 5pm on Saturday, two of world rugby’s powerhouse nations will clash in Durban, each determined to secure a slice of history.
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‘This game is going to be intense for 80 minutes. We are playing to win the series, they’re playing to draw the series. From the word go, it’s going to be intense,’ Springbok skipper Siya Kolisi said on the eve of one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the year.
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The Springboks, world champions in 2019 and 2023, have captivated KwaZulu-Natal this week. Kings Park sold out in 90 minutes two months ago for this match, and on Friday, Durban’s streets were filled with fans in green and gold jerseys, reflecting the nation’s excitement.
Fans have travelled from all over the country for this game, and while the Boks don’t necessarily need the victory, they want it desperately.
In the other corner is Ireland: 2023 and 2024 Six Nations champions and the only team to have beaten the Boks at the World Cup in France last year, making this one of the sport’s fiercest rivalries in recent years.
Ireland has not lost back-to-back Tests in over three years, and with this being the last match of their international season, they are ready to give everything against the world champions.
‘We’re playing against the world No 1 at home after we’ve lost a game. We don’t tend to lose two on the bounce very much,’ Ireland coach Andy Farrell said in the build-up to the Test.
In the battle for the top spot in world rugby, if Ireland manages to beat the Springboks by more than 15 points, they could dethrone South Africa from the No 1 position.
Following Ireland’s movements this week, it’s clear they believe they can win. Hard, honest discussions in their camp acknowledged that they were far from their best in last Saturday’s 27-20 loss to the Boks in a frantic first Test at Loftus.
They have made bold changes, dropping their captain Peter O’Mahony to the bench and appointing Caelan Doris as the new skipper. With little to lose and everything to gain, Ireland is a dangerous opponent.
The Boks, on the other hand, are determined to play for their home fans, especially since they couldn’t do so after winning the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Coach Rassie Erasmus has named an unchanged matchday 23 from Loftus, relying on the core group that secured the famous win in Paris last year.
Teams:
Springboks: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Substitutes: 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 (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Substitutes: 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.
‘For us, it’s about the people in South Africa,’ assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said on Friday.
‘We never had an opportunity the last time we won in Japan in 2019 to come back and deliver for our people. Now, we get an opportunity to play for the people back home at a sold-out stadium. If we can close this series out and win it, it will be a great thing for South Africa.’
Kolisi emphasised the importance of the match: ‘We want to win tomorrow [Saturday]. We just want to win the series. It will be important for us as a team. We all know that, before last weekend, it had been since 2016 since we beat them. We want to use this opportunity to make sure we give everything we can. We’ve worked hard as a group to be where we are. This is the most important game for us at this point, and we know how important it is to them too. It’s going to be a proper Test match. They’re going to come out even harder. It’s their last game of the season. They’re going on holiday after this. They’re going to throw everything at it.’
There will be much focus on the Springboks’ tactical approach, with Erasmus and the coaching staff openly discussing the need to evolve their attack under former All Black flyhalf and new assistant coach Tony Brown.
This evolution was evident in the first Test as the Boks moved the ball wide with more intention, but their dominance still relied heavily on their forwards. By naming an unchanged side and maintaining a 6/2 bench split, the Boks will again rely on their replacement pack to inject power in the second half, as they did at Loftus. However, they know they must be more accurate and improved in all areas to overcome a serious Irish threat.
‘We know the Irish have a lot of pride in how they do things and how they are organized as a team,’ Stick added.
‘They are playing their last game of the season. They are Six Nations champions, so there is a lot of confidence in their team, and we know they want to finish their season on a high. But we’re also on our own journey and we want to do it for the people of South Africa, and we’re going to go full out.’
Ireland’s goal is clear: to find a way to win.
‘We love winning and winning matters,’ Farrell said.
‘I think that if we get the performance we’re after, then we’re more than capable of winning.’
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Picture: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images