South African test will be a true test of Ireland's ability to go on and win this World Cup

IRELAND face reigning world champions South Africa on Saturday in Paris knowing that a win potentially opens up the ‘easiest’ path to the World Cup final. 

To say that it is a potentially tournament defining fixture is an understatement.

In typical South African fashion they have thrown either a grenade or a complete red herring into the pregame build-up in the form of the ‘timely’ recall of Handre Pollard to the squad. 

The 2019 World Cup winning outhalf was not picked as part of the original 33 man squad, due to injury, but the injury to hooker Malcolm Marx has been used to bring him in at this juncture.

Manie Libbok is expected to retain the no. 10 jersey for Saturday, with the Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus insisting that Pollard will not play, but considering Erasmus’ form what odds on their being an ‘injury’ to someone in the warm-up?

In these pages back on 16 August we suggested that Pollard might “suddenly appear in the squad by the time Ireland play them in their third game in Pool B”. 

If we saw this coming then you can be sure that Andy Farrell did too. Ireland will not be surprised in the slightest if any fast ones are attempted this weekend.

This Pool B crunch match has been building since last November when Ireland beat the Boks in a proper arm wrestle in Dublin. 

Damian Willemse and Cheslin Kolbe were on kicking duties that night, and in a game that finished 19-16 their profligacy proved to be the difference between the sides, with the two of them leaving seven very kickable points behind. 

While Ireland left the Aviva Stadium happy that night you can rest assured that Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber would have left the stadium thinking that they possibly had Ireland’s number, if only they had Pollard pulling the strings.

South Africa missed four kicks at goal against Scotland, and four more against Romania, with it appearing to be their obvious Achilles heel in their opening two games. 

Recalling Pollard, who kicked 22 points in the 2019 World Cup final, would be an instant panacea to this perceived weakness, but if we are to believe Erasmus it will not happen on Saturday night. Believe it when you see it!

Libbok is an extremely talented, mercurial number ten, as illustrated by his wonderful no-look kick for Kurt-Lee Arendse’s try against Scotland in Round 1, but he cannot be relied upon to consistently kick goals in pressurised situations, as we saw in this year’s URC final between Munster and the Stormers. 

Ireland’s chances increase if he is South Africa’s kicker on Saturday.

Ireland will be confident that they have no glaring weaknesses right now, hence their lofty status as world number one. 

Despite this, they will know that South Africa will come after them at scrums and lineouts, that they will pressurise their attacking game with a lightning quick blitz defence, and that they will try to unsettle Ireland’s brilliant back three aerially. 

No side has made in-roads against the likes of Mack Hansen and Hugo Keenan, but it won’t stop them trying.

While we can expect Saturday night to be an extremely bruising encounter, it is incredibly unlikely that it will turn into a high-scoring affair. The Springboks have conceded only three points in their opening two games, and while Romania did not offer much resistance, Scotland are certainly considered to be a top side, yet one penalty from the half way line is all they could muster. 

Compare that to Ireland, who shipped 24 points in two games, in what were on paper easier ties. 

Scores will not be easily got come Saturday night.