Ireland’s international season comes to a fascinating close in Port Elizabeth where Joe Schmidt’s men will aim to bounce back against the Springboks and make history with a 2-1 series win.
2016 SUMMER TOUR THIRD TEST: Saturday, June 25
SOUTH AFRICA v IRELAND, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, 5pm local time/4pm Irish time (live Sky Sports 1 HD/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: The Ireland coaches have named the team to take on South Africa in Saturday’s series decider in Port Elizabeth, making six changes in personnel and one positional switch.
Full-back Jared Payne has been ruled out of the series decider with a calf injury. His place will be taken by Connacht’s Tiernan O’Halloran, who won his first cap off the bench during the final minutes of last weekend’s second Test in Johannesburg.
The uncapped Matt Healy is named among the replacements as is Eoin Reddan, who has announced that he will retire from rugby after the match.
Hooker Rory Best will captain Ireland for the 12th time and is rejoined in the front row by Mike Ross,while loosehead prop Jack McGrath is set for his third start of the tour.
Devin Toner and the versatile Iain Henderson reunite in the second row, with flankers Jordi Murphy and CJ Stander returning to the back row to link up with number 8 Jamie Heaslip, who scored his 13th try for Ireland last weekend.
Conor Murray continues his partnership with Paddy Jackson at half-back for what will be his 50th cap. The Limerick man will be the third scrum half after Peter Stringer (98) and Reddan (70) to hit the half-century for Ireland.
Luke Marshall returns to the starting line-up and switches to outside centre with his Ulster colleague Olding retaining the number 12 jersey. Andrew Trimble and Keith Earls complete the back-three alongside O’Halloran.
Head coach Joe Schmidt said: “One of the things that we wanted to do was to involve as many players as possible on tour. It means that everybody will have been in a matchday 23 and I think that’s exciting for the players that have come away. We have 32 players, obviously with Robbie (Henshaw) heading back we have 31 still available to us.
“Jared Payne has still got a bit of tightness in his calf. We’re just not prepared to risk further injury if we put him out there. So, at the same time, it’s a great opportunity for Tiernan O’Halloran and for Matt Healy to come in on the bench.
“You couldn’t get a more exciting opportunity than being over here in a Test decider to step up and be involved in your first start or you first opportunity off the bench.”
Meanwhile, Warren Whiteley and Ruan Combrinck will make their first starts for South Africa in the deciding third Test against Ireland.
The inclusion of these two players are the only changes to the starting team announced by Springboks boss Allister Coetzee for the game at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. There are also three changes to the bench.
Whiteley replaces experienced number 8 Duane Vermeulen, who is out with an elbow injury, while winger Combrinck the man-of-the-match in last weekend’s comeback win over Ireland, gets the starting nod over Lwazi Mvovo, who is now on the bench.
An ankle injury has ruled out prop Trevor Nyakane, and his place among the reserves is filled by the uncapped Steven Kitshoff. He is joined on the bench by another uncapped player, Jaco Kriel, who comes into the matchday squad for the first time during the series.
Adriaan Strauss will lead the ‘Boks for the third time on Saturday, with the hooker looking to lead his country to a series win over Ireland. The series is currently tied 1-1 after Ireland’s opening 26-20 victory in Cape Town and the Springboks’ triumph last Saturday on the Highveld.
SOUTH AFRICA: Willie le Roux (Cell C Sharks); Ruan Combrinck (Emirates Lions), Lionel Mapoe (Emirates Lions), Damian de Allende (DHL Stormers), JP Pietersen (Cell C Sharks); Elton Jantjies (Emirates Lions), Faf de Klerk (Emirates Lions); Tendai Mtawarira (Cell C Sharks), Adriaan Strauss (Vodacom Bulls) (capt), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Eben Etzebeth (DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers), Francois Louw (Bath), Siya Kolisi (DHL Stormers), Warren Whiteley (Emirates Lions).
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux-Begles), Julian Redelinghuys (Emirates Lions), Franco Mostert (Emirates Lions), Jaco Kriel (Emirates Lions), Rudy Paige (Vodacom Bulls), Morne Steyn (Stade Francais), Lwazi Mvovo (Cell C Sharks).
IRELAND: Tiernan O’Halloran (Buccaneers/Connacht); Andrew Trimble (Ballymena/Ulster), Luke Marshall (Ballymena/Ulster), Stuart Olding (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster), Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster); Paddy Jackson (Dungannon/Ulster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Ultan Dillane (Corinthians/Connacht), Rhys Ruddock (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Eoin Reddan (Old Crescent/Leinster), Ian Madigan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Matt Healy (Connacht).
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Television Match Official: Rowan Kitt (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): South Africa to win: 1/3; Draw: 25/1; Ireland to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Joe Schmidt (Ireland) – “I thought Johannesburg was a massive ask. To be honest, I thought Cape Town was an extremely difficult ask especially after the first 20 minutes. To lose CJ (Stander) and be down to 14 men having never won here before, I thought it was exceptional.
“To go to Joburg then and I think everyone is really, really disappointed that we let such a fantastic opportunity slip (last week), but I think we deserved to have the margin we did.
“We worked hard to build that on the back of very little field position and very little possession. That’s where we need to be able to put our best foot forward.
“I think we can influence how they (South Africa) play by being a little bit more combative. We lost a lot of contact situations in that last 20 minutes (of the second Test) and I think that’s going to be a real challenge for us. We’re going to have to make sure that we don’t allow them quite as much latitude to get that go-forward through that contact area.”
Allister Coetzee (South Africa) – “It will be test across the field. There will be contests and battles and we expect that. This is their last game of the season. They will come hard. This is their chance to clinch the series. There will be something new from the Irish. They have quite a clever coaching team but we are prepared.
“Ireland might be looking at regaining possession much more than just kicking it deep, going nice and short from the kick-off to contest and get territory again. So we will have to cover the whole field. I also think they will have to have a go more than in the previous two Tests and keep ball in hand. It’s going to be true test in itself.
“They have a new centre combination so they will want to get the ball into ?(Andrew) Trimble’s hands more. So we have a good feel of that to expect.”
Pre-Match Links –
Tour Diary – Missionvale And Reddan Retires
In Pics: Ireland Squad Training In Port Elizabeth
Eoin Reddan To Retire From Rugby
Head-To-Head: Ireland v South Africa
Recent Meetings –
2012: GUINNESS Series: Ireland 16 South Africa 12, Aviva Stadium
2014: GUINNESS Series: Ireland 29 South Africa 15, Aviva Stadium
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
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #ShouldertoShoulder or #RSAvIRE on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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