The world’s fourth and fifth-ranked teams go head to head at the Aviva Stadium as Ireland open their GUINNESS Series campaign against a power-packed South African side.
2017 GUINNESS SERIES MATCH: Saturday, November 11
IRELAND v SOUTH AFRICA, Aviva Stadium, 5.30pm (live RTE Two/www.rte.ie/live (ROI only)/Sky Sports Action/RTE Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has named the team to play South Africa in the opening fixture of the 2017 GUINNESS Series. Bundee Aki will make his debut while Sean O’Brien is set to win his 50th Ireland cap.
Uncapped centre Aki is one of 11 personnel changes to the Ireland side that wrapped up the 2017 summer tour with a second Test victory over Japan in Tokyo. Nine of this year’s British & Irish Lions squad return to action with Ireland, along with the fit-again Rob Kearney at full-back. Aki, who is now Irish-qualified through residency, is reunited with his former Connacht team-mate Robbie Henshaw at centre.
21-year-old Ulster winger Jacob Stockdale will make his home debut after winning his first two caps in June, while it will be a first start on home soil for the three-times capped Andrew Conway on the opposite flank. Keith Earls is ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up in training.
Completing the back-three, Kearney is set for his first international appearance since last March’s defeat to Wales, with the back-line again marshalled by Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray, who scored a try in Ireland’s historic tour win over South Africa in June last year.
Rory Best returns from Lions duty to captain his country for the 20th time. He is joined in the front row by Cian Healy, who comes in for his first Test start at the Aviva Stadium in the space of a year, and tighthead Tadhg Furlong.
Iain Henderson packs down in the second row with Devin Toner, who won his 50th cap last time out, while Tullow man O’Brien will hit the half-century mark in an all-Lions back row combination with Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander.
Darren Sweetnam is poised to become Ireland’s second debutant on Saturday, having been named among the replacements. Leinster lock James Ryan, who won his first cap during the recent summer tour, is also included, and Ulster’s Rob Herring is in line to win his first cap since making his debut against Argentina in 2014.
Commenting on the two new inclusions in Ireland’s matchday squad, Schmidt said: “Bundee has slotted in really well but I don’t think it’s any different for Darren Sweetnam or anyone else. Darren’s been in one or two other camps, Bundee came in for just the single day we had earlier in the season. So people have dipped their toe in and now they’ve got to plunge in and it’s a pretty deep pool first up.
“One of the things that is good about Bundee and a few of the other players that have come in is they are quite instinctive players. Jacob Stockdale, his instinct is to carry and to be very strong and try to take the outside break and if that’s what he sees, that’s what we want to back himself doing. It’s as simple as that really.
“I really hope for Bundee’s sake and for the team’s sake that he has a scorching game and hopefully that will appease some of the doubters, but I know there’s an incredible amount of people who are really positive about his involvement as well.
“Darren seems a real calm, settled sort of guy. He doesn’t get ruffled and I think a lot of times when you make errors stepping up to the next level, yes, it’s more physical, yes, you’ve got less time and space, so there’s more urgency to make decisions and you can be unsettled by that.
“He’s pretty calm, he’s got some good footwork, he knows where the try-line is, he finishes well, he’s got some good defensive habits and some that we’ll keep working on. He’s a package that’s interesting and he’ll be looking to become a more complete package through these three weeks.”
Meanwhile, experienced props Tendai Mtawarira and Coenie Oosthuizen, as well as centre Damian de Allende, return to the South Africa team to face Ireland in the opening game of their November tour.
Mtawarira, the team’s most-experienced player with 95 caps, comes back into the starting line-up at loosehead prop, while Steven Kitshoff, who made his first start against New Zealand last month in Cape Town, will move back to the bench.
“Modern day rugby is about using 23 players effectively, and having Kitshoff coming off the bench with 30 minutes to play has worked well for us this season,” said South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee.
Oosthuizen has recovered from an arm fracture sustained against the Wallabies in Perth in September, and he takes over the tighthead position from Ruan Dreyer, who started in the Springboks’ previous three outings.
There is only one change in the back-line, with de Allende earning a first start of the season. He replaces Jan Serfontein who played in all nine previous ‘Bok matches of the year. Serfontein has moved to French club Montpellier and has asked not to be considered for the November tour.
The rest of the starting line-up is unchanged from the team that lost by one point to New Zealand last month, with Pieter-Steph du Toit retaining the number 7 jersey after a strong performance against the All Blacks.
Kitshoff will be joined on the bench by loose forward Uzair Cassiem – in place of the injured Jean-Luc du Preez – after missing the Cape Town match with a rib injury. De Allende’s place on the bench goes to Francois Venter.
Coetzee said the Springboks will have to adapt to a different challenge against an experienced Irish team this weekend, acknowledging: “They beat us here in 2014 and with an experienced coaching team and world class players, they are rightfully considered as the favourites and are one of few teams in the last five years that managed to beat the All Blacks.
“The Irish have a world class half-back pair and their set piece play is extremely good, so it will be a great battle on Saturday. They know how to keep the ball and use a good kicking game to put teams under pressure.”
Regarding the changes in personnel, he added: “Continuity is important and we have kept changes to a minimum, with Jean-Luc injured and Jan not available. I am really excited to see Damian getting an opportunity on Saturday. He has worked very hard and looked good in training.”
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Andrew Conway (Garryowen/Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O’Brien (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster)
Replacements: Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Dave Kilcoyne (UL Bohemians/Munster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Kieran Marmion (Corinthians/Connacht), Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster), Darren Sweetnam (Cork Constitution/Munster).
SOUTH AFRICA: Andries Coetzee (Emirates Lions); Dillyn Leyds (DHL Stormers), Jesse Kriel (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), Courtnall Skosan (Emirates Lions); Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions/NTT Shining Arcs); Ross Cronje (Emirates Lions), Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks), Malcolm Marx (Emirates Lions), Coenie Oosthuizen (Cell C Sharks), Eden Etzebeth (DHL Stormers) (capt), Lood de Jager (Vodacom Bulls), Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), Francois Louw (Bath).
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers), Wilco Louw (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions/Ricoh Black Rams), Uzair Cassiem (Toyota Cheetahs), Rudy Paige (Vodacom Bulls), Handré Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Francois Venter (Toyota Free State Cheetahs).
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Ian Davies (Wales)
Television Match Official: David Grashoff (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ireland to win: 4/9; Draw: 20/1; South Africa to win: 9/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Rory Best (Ireland) – “Joe asked me to captain the side again for this season and I’m very happy to do it. Until I feel that my body starts to let me down…okay, the hamstring injury, but that can happen to anyone at any time. If anything, for me, it’s probably a sign I’m getting faster if I’m getting it at this stage.
“(Bundee and Darren) are picked for a reason. I think it’s just to bring that out and don’t sit back and wait for something to happen. Especially with Bundee. The reports coming out of Galway from boys like Robbie (Henshaw) is that Bundee runs the show there.
“He really has to bring a little bit of that to us. Don’t just sit back and let other people organise, he has to be the guy that has to step up. If Johnny (Sexton) is out of the play; in a ruck or having carried or whatever, to step up and be the guy to make a play. That’s what he’s been doing and it’s important that he does that.
“Ultimately, go out and enjoy it. These are special days, to be lucky enough to win on your first cap at home against a team like South Africa is special, and I think it’s a shame if you look back on Monday or Tuesday or in five or 10 years’ time and look back and think, ‘I didn’t enjoy any of that’.
“You’re going to be nervous, so just enjoy the nerves, the ups and downs that go with it, right up to half past five. People will either say their first cap (when looking at career highlights) which you almost feel obliged to (say) because it’s the first time you pull on the shirt, but when you scratch the surface it always comes back to games that they won.
“For me, the Australia game was my 100th cap. I’ll remember it for my 100th cap but also because we won that game. The New Zealand game in Chicago, all of that. My 200th game for Ulster, two weeks ago…I’l remember it, but it will not go down as one of my fondest memories because we were well beaten. Ultimately, as much as it’s an honour to play for Ireland, the greatest honour is to win for Ireland.”
Eben Etzebeth (South Africa) – “We know it’s going to be a real tough Test but we are looking forward to resuming our battle against the Irish. We had an unbelievable series last year in South Africa, but this time they are playing at home and with the advantage of a home crowd.
“They have some world class players in their team and they are very good at set pieces and keeping possession. We know we will have to work extremely hard against a quality Irish side.
“As coach Allister has said earlier in the week, we don’t see this as an end-of-the-year tour. This is the Castle Lager outgoing tour, it consists of four matches and we will take it game by game, starting on Saturday evening in Dublin.”
Pre-Match Links –
Head-To-Head: Ireland v South Africa
IRFU Live Blog: Ireland v South Africa
Irish Rugby TV: Rory Best – Captain’s Run Catch-Up
Irish Rugby TV: Andy Farrell Previews Ireland v South Africa
Recent Meetings –
2016: Summer Tour First Test: South Africa 20 Ireland 26, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town; Summer Tour Second Test: South Africa 32 Ireland 26, Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg; Summer Tour Third Test: South Africa 19 Ireland 13, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #TeamOfUs, #ShouldertoShoulder and #IREvRSA on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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