The Springboks have picked their team that will battle it out against Ireland on Saturday evening at the Rugby World Cup in France.

The Boks will certainly ruffle some feathers again after going for a seven-one split on the bench, with the nippy Cobus Reinach named as the only backline player among the replacements.

It’s a hugely risky move and can see the Boks in heaps of trouble should more than one backline player pick up an injury, but as was the case with the 35-7 against the All Blacks in London, the reward was big.

The good news for the Springboks is that the 114-time capped lock, Eben Etzebeth, is back from his shoulder injury and he will slot into the second-row alongside Franco Mostert.

Manie Libbok retains the number ten jersey, while upfront, Bongi Mbonambi will start at hooker. Deon Fourie will serve as the backup hooker, while Marco van Staden is also on the bench.

The versatile former Blitzbok, Kwagga Smith, will act as cover upfront and for the backline.

Jacques Nienaber - Morgan Piek

The Bok coach, Jacques Nienaber, said they know what to expect from the Irish and playing for the full 80-minutes will be key.

“Ireland are a quality team with a strong pack of forwards and talented backs, and they play with a lot of speed, so we know what we have to do to deliver a top-drawer performance for things to go our way,” said Nienaber.

“We faced them late last year and we’ve been keeping an eye on their performances this year, so everyone knows what we have to do this weekend.

“We’re fortunate to have a match-fit squad and have been building depth and versatility for a while and believe this is the best combination for this match. For many of these players this is their second or third World Cup, so they know what it takes to perform at this level, and we believe this team has the right balance of players to achieve what we would like to achieve in this match.

“We know it’s going to be a grind of a match and we know we need to pitch up physically and mentally. We also need to start with intensity and stay focused until the final whistle.”

Jean Kleyn - Gallo

Meanwhile, Jean Kleyn has been named on the bench as one of two locks in the ‘Bomb Squad’ with the other being his fellow Munsterman, RG Snyman.

Kleyn will be playing against Ireland for the first time in his career, the very team he played for during the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Kleyn returned to South Africa and because of a new rule by World Rugby he became eligible to play for the Springboks.

Kleyn’s Munster teammate and Ireland scrumhalf, Conor Murray, second the big second-rower enjoys playing a physical game.

“If I’m playing against him, I’ll just try and avoid him. He is a physical man, he loves that kind of carry on and he is very, very good at it, so, I’ll just try to avoid him and we’ll have a chat after.

“He has been an unbelievable servant to Munster, so you’d wish him all the best. Players make decisions when they have opportunities and that’s the way the world is now.”

Saturday’s Test between the Springboks and Ireland at Stade de France kicks off at 21:00.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday afternoon at 17:45, Italy will face Uruguay in Nice in the first game of the week.

Morgan Piek OFM Sport