South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber says naming seven forwards and just one back on the bench for his side's Rugby World Cup clash with Ireland on Saturday is a "calculated risk".
Scrum-half Cobus Reinach is the only back named on the bench for South Africa while former Ireland international Jean Kleyn is also among the replacements.
The #Springboks team to face Ireland in Paris on Saturday - more here: https://t.co/hXGBgEFsJA 🤝#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/owoyetimBa
— Springboks (@Springboks) September 19, 2023
"Like any team selection, we went with that because we believe that’s the best way for us to make sure we get a result on the weekend," said Nienaber.
"We always try to be as physical and intense as possible. We always say you can’t plan for a good start, but you can always plan for an intense start. We will definitely try to be as intense as possible from the start, as I think they would as well.
"Obviously people look at it and say it’s a risk, but for us it’s a calculated risk. There are guys on that bench who cover various positions, but that is not something I’d like to go into too much because it is probably more tactical.
"I don’t want to talk too much about tactics. We have a lot of versatility in the squad and we showed that on the weekend by playing four nines [scrum-halves]. But we are comfortable with the risk we are taking."
5 November 2022; South Africa assistant coach Felix Jones, left, and South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber before the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
South Africa caused a stir prior to the tournament when they used a seven-one bench split in the 35-7 victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham.
"It worked well in that specific game," said Nienaber.
"The bench had a big impact, not only in that game but also on the weekend [against Romania].
"We analysed Ireland and after looking at them and what they bring and what we think we will need in this specific game from a tactical point of view and trying to counter everything they do - that’s the reason we went with seven-one.
"I don’t think necessarily Ireland and New Zealand are similar in how they do things. It’s for this specific game.
"The ‘bomb squad’ that came on against Scotland also had a big impact. That’s what we want.
"I don’t call them finishers or stuff like that. The guys that start and guys who come off the bench have a role to fulfil. That’s why when we talk about our front-rowers, we don’t talk about first choice or second choice. It doesn’t necessarily work like that in our team.
"The guys who start have a specific role to perform and the moment we see that being achieved, we bring the other guys off the bench."
5 November 2022; Josh van der Flier of Ireland, centre, celebrates after scoring his side's first try during the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Saturday's game will go a long way to determining which of South Africa or Ireland top pool B.
"They are the number-one team in world, they are a quality outfit," Nienaber said regarding Ireland.
"We don’t think there are a lot of weaknesses in their game and, as they’ve mentioned, this is probably one of the games you want to play in – the number one in the world playing the world champions.
"If you look at Ireland’s team and their consistency of performance, there has not been a lot of weakness over the past few months. We expect a proper test match of the calibre of the number one and two teams playing against each other.
"If you look at their squad versus our squad, you’re probably going to find that they have a very experienced squad, probably between 29 or 30 years of age. We’re probably between 29 and 30 years of age.
"If you look at the amount of test cap experience we have on average per player, it will probably be between 40 and 45. If they select the guys that we think they’re going to select, it will also be around about 40 or 45.
"It’s going to be a clash of two teams that have good experience; good, cool, calm heads. They will be similar in the amount of guys that are over 30, so I think it’s two squads that will be very well matched on the day.
"That’s the exciting part, to see if our plans will work against them. Will we be able to handle the pressure they put us under? There will be ebbs and flows in the game. Will they be able to handle the pressure that’s on them? Because at the end of the day this is an important game for both teams.
"It’s only the third game of the pool, but if Ireland slip up in this game, their Scotland game becomes massive. (If) we slip against them in this game, our Tonga game becomes massive.
"So there will be pressure in this game. It’s exciting to see how the players will handle it."
See Also: Kearney Thinks Ireland May Be Showing South Africa ‘False Pictures’
