Springboks vs Ireland 2
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Rassie took that pool loss personal.
Naming an unchanged squad is a statement of intent. It’s also a message to the Irish that they didn’t put a dent in the boks.
Underlines how hard the boks fucked the Irish up physically. Sadly, Sheehan and Casey are out of the tour. The hooker tore his ACL, poor bastard. While the promising little 9 got concussed meeting RG coming the wrong way.
The butcher’s bill also includes
Henshaw (concussed himself trying to hit Kolisi high and without arms), Aki (fucked his shoulder persistently refusing to use his arms in the tackle), Porter (tore the webbing between in his thumb and forefinger engaging in unspecified, but likely unspeakable, skullduggery somehow involving PSTd's jersey) and finally, Lowe and Osborne (suspiciously convenient high groin strains. Dollars to donuts the Irish physio is as hot as the boks’ - relative to the competition in Dublin.)The contrasting injury profiles may also say something about the strategic value of bringing 6 forward subs on at 50 minutes.
All that aside, it makes sense to let the same team keep working on tuning up Brown’s new attack structure. While you’d expect the attack to keep improving, I’m hoping the boks mix in more of their territorial/pressure tactics this week. The game was crying out for it in the second half last week. Seemed that the boks were deliberately not clutching their safety blanket.
At least I hope so, because King’s Park is the boks most pregnable fortress.
Too many nightmares of the boks getting pumped by the ABs, Aussies, France and even the Argies in front of shit Durban crowds.
So many I had to reassure myself by checking the record books. Ireland lost their only game in Durban 12-10 thanks to 4 Naas dropgoals.
The Irish Provinces have lost five of their seven games there despite the Sharks being the worst coach team in the URC.
The Lions also caught a fat smack at Kings Park in the first test in 2009* when the Beast alongside Smit at TH fucked up the Lions’ scrum.
True Rugby lovers will be hoping for a similar scrumming masterclass on Sat.
*thankfully I’ve got no memory of the 97 Lions test. Or rather, my only memories are of breaking the transistor radio after Joubert’s 3rd missed kick.
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South Africa: 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; 1 Ox Nche, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Frans Malherbe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Kwagga Smith.
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.
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Mmm... quite an intimidating team especially at home, isn't it? Smash the hubris out of those green upstart Irish bastards!
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For those who can’t be bothered to click the Irish team for Durban Test (caps in brackets, * disclosed as banged up in 1st test by Irish management):
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Jamie Osborne (1)- should be more relaxed now that he’s had a good groin rub
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Calvin Nash (7)
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Garry Ringrose (59) - in off the bench to partner his Leinster teammate, Henshaw, who moves in one to replace Aki who somehow hurt his shoulder in the first test
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Robbie Henshaw (73)* apparently didn’t concuss himself in the first test. Definitely made the mistake of trying to go high on Kolisi, though
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James Lowe (32)* Got the rubs he needed to heal his aching groin. Which is good because Bok fans are keen for him to act the fanny again in test 2
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Jack Crowley (15)
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Conor Murray (117) in off the bench for Casey, who unlike his mate Henshaw was definitely concussed in test 1 despite Casey having the good sense not to try tackling Kolisi high, again unlike his mate Henshaw, who was definitely not concussed in the first test, nah uh, no sir and he’s not just magically recovered because Bundee has been rendered even more ‘armless by his shoulder injury
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Andrew Porter (65) selected despite hand injury - not like he needs it for binding anyway
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Rónan Kelleher (32) moves in from the bench for poor old Sheehan
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Tadhg Furlong (77)
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Joe McCarthy (11)
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James Ryan (63) in off the bench effectively in a switch with Omahoney as Irish try to beef up their pack
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Tadhg Beirne (51) moves out from lock, pushing the lawnmower onto the bench
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Josh van der Flier (63)
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Caelan Doris (captain, 42)
Replacements:
16. Rob Herring (39)S’african brought in to maintain foreign quotient with Aki injured
17. Cian Healy (130)
18. Finlay Bealham (41)
19. Ryan Baird (21) as good a place as any to note that outside of Ireland, I doubt there’s a person alive who could accurately distinguish between Beirne and Baird. Also calling bullshit that the Irish Lock Ryan that’s starting isn’t the same as the Irish Lock Ryan on the bench. It’s pretty comical that Irish fans and their coaches pretend that it makes any sort of difference which of them they put where.
20. Peter O’Mahony (106) whose a shit McCaw now, bigmouth?
21. Caolin Blade (2) will be looking to avenge Casey I’ve no doubt. Oh he’s only a 50% tackler? Strange instrument of vengence
22. Ciaran Frawley (5)
23. Stuart McCloskey (17) the center you have at home, when your Mum tells you you’ve got Aki at homeEdit - Fern formatting shows the idiocy of the Irish numbering
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O'Aki dropped, or injured?
Anyway another close test I think, but SA well take it. boks are looking mighty dangerous in between world cups, which is a worry.
@Machpants said in Springboks vs Ireland 2:
O'Aki dropped, or injured?
Anyway another close test I think, but SA well take it. boks are looking mighty dangerous in between world cups, which is a worry.
Shoulder not right.
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@Tordah
definitelyarguably the most overrated double World Cup winning fullback.Edit - somehow forgot about Steyn
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@Smuts Willie has been in great form for the Bulls. Tony Brown will love Willie's understanding of space.
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Probably correct, SAv want to prove a point, as mentioned on here. But Rassie will start building for next RWC after this
Wow
Of the starting 15, 11 were on the pitch for the opening whistle against England in Yokohama in 2019
The average age of the starting 15 is 31 years old. The average age of the starting 15s of Ireland, New Zealand, England, Australia and Wales this weekend are all 28 or younger..
https://www.rugbypass.com/news/time-to-say-goodbye-to-this-springboks-team/
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Tense and physical first 10 mins
Durban crowd in fine voice
SA 0-3 Ireland
10 mins -
Osbourne is a ghost this afternoon
Great run and Murray goes over
SA 0-10 Ireland
15 mins -
This is going to be last man standing
brutal
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Pollard pen goes over
SA 3-10 Ireland
19 mins -
@Tim said in Springboks vs Ireland 2:
Ireland are playing some good rugby tonight.
Less cute, more direct
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