The players of the French national team will be watching again and again the footage of the titanic battle between South Africa and Ireland on Saturday, September 23, which the men in green won by a narrow 13-8 scoreline. Now, barring any unforeseen incidents, Les Bleus know that they will have to face the Springboks in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup on Sunday, October 15. Watching last night's match as many times as necessary should certainly help them understand why, and how, the mighty South African world champions succumbed to the fury of the Irish.
The first point is obvious, even if South African coach Jacques Nienaber has tried to downplay the problem at every post-match press conference: His team does not have the goal-kicker it deserves. On Saturday, fly-half Manie Libbok and scrum-half Faf de Klerk missed a total of four kicks, leaving eleven points on the field, enough to move ahead of Ireland. The problem is not a new one and had already arisen against Scotland in the group stage on September 10. But on that occasion, Manie Libbok's lack of skill in front of the posts did not prevent the Springboks from winning (18-3). On Saturday, on the other hand, defeat was the order of the day.
Fabien Galthié's men should not be too quick to rejoice at this handicap, as South Africa have a strong ace up their sleeve: Fly-half Handré Pollard. The player joined the squad a week ago to compensate for the loss of hooker Malcolm Marx to injury. Instead of calling up another forward, Nienaber opted to bring in a formidable kicker. Pollard was the top scorer at the 2019 World Cup. Libbok is likely to find himself back on the substitutes' bench for the decisive matches, even if his starts have often been impressive.
A second point should attract the attention of Les Bleus: How The Springboks' infallible defense was breached by the Irish. The Scots were unable to do this, and neither were the Romanians, who were crushed 76-0 on September 17. Nienaber has always praised the defensive wall that prevents any incursion beyond his players' goal line. But exceptions do exist. Indeed, Irish winger Mack Hansen's 35th-minute try was undoubtedly the turning point of the match. It was at that point that coach Andy Farrell's men realized that victory over the defending champions was within their grasp.
The third point is that it is possible, provided they can hold out physically and mentally – the second word was the one Farrell uttered several times at the press conference – and not get carried away by the Springboks' power. Renowned for charging like bulls, the South Africans found themselves up against an equally determined Irish side. Ireland withstood the pressure and, even better, dominated the ruck (12 turnovers) and the scrum, especially in the second half.
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