Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a strong and experienced squad for their opening Castle Lager Incoming Series Test against Ireland at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The squad features 20 Rugby World Cup winners, 12 started in the cup final, while three came off the bench.
“This is the team we believe will give us the impetus we need against Ireland, who are the second highest ranked team in the world.
We are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad, and we are in a fortunate position to have several Rugby World Cup-winners in our ranks who know what it takes to perform at the highest level and play against the best teams in the world.
The fact that most of these guys have played together is a bonus for us, and most of them have faced Ireland before so they are well aware of the challenge that lies ahead, especially since we haven’t beaten them since 2016,” said Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.
Erasmus said he’s pleased to have all the World Cup experienced players available for selection, despite few injuries, as he welcomed back captain Siya Kolisi, Le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Handre Pollard, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman and Gerhard Steenekamp.
“It’s great to be in such a position, and while it may serve as a mental boost, Ireland are a quality outfit and they’ll come out guns blazing.
This is a new year for us with new systems in place, so while it certainly helps that most of the players have won a World Cup or two, this is a fresh chapter for us,” explained the coach.
The coach said they expect a physical onslaught from the Irish, who is the only team that beat the Boks during the group stages of the Rugby World Cup in Paris, France, last year.
“Ireland have had the upper hand over us in the last few years and they will certainly want to build on that on Saturday.
That said, we have a good idea of what to expect from them, especially after the World Cup last year.
They have a few new players in their ranks this year, but so do we and that contributes to the excitement for the match.
They are a physical team that never give up, but the margins between the teams are fairly small, so it’s going to be an intense battle and one that will require a resolute performance for the full 80 minutes,” cautioned Erasmus.
Springbok team to face Ireland at Loftus Versfeld:
