Cape Town - The Springbok rugby team play Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in the first match of their end-of-year tour and, at the end of this month, we will have a good idea of how equipped the Boks are to defend their World Cup crown in France next year.
The tour could hardly be tougher as the Boks play three of the teams tipped for success in next year’s World Cup in Ireland, France, and England, while they can also expect a tough work-out from Italy in Genoa.
Siya Kolisi’s men play these four countries on successive Saturdays and will be taken to the limits of their capabilities, starting in Dublin against the team ranked No 1 in the world.
It is an appetising match-up – the world champions versus the team on top of the rankings thanks to a series win against the mighty All Blacks in New Zealand in June.
Interestingly, this Tuesday marked the third anniversary of the Boks’ World Cup final win in Japan and when director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus was asked for comment, he said his team could not afford to waste time on sentimental celebrations and was solely focused on next year’s event.
This is the hard-nosed attitude we expect from Erasmus, who transformed the Boks from no-hopers at the end of 2017 into world champions in 2019.
Incidentally, it was in November 2017, two months before Erasmus took charge, that the Boks suffered a humiliating defeat to Ireland in Dublin. A host of current Boks were in that team that lost 38-3 to the Irish – including captain Kolisi – and avenging that wretched loss has been discussed among them.
Erasmus says this tour is also about trying out new combinations ahead of the World Cup and it will be fascinating to see how one of the heroes of that final in Japan three years ago, Cheslin Kolbe, goes in his new position of fullback.
This tour is vital for the Boks as they look to build winning momentum and confidence before defending their crown next year, and we wish them the best of luck.
Cape Times