Springbok Watch: Players in the Spotlight v Ireland

Boan Venter

It’s been anything but a smooth end-of-year tour for Venter. A greenhorn in his first season of Test rugby, Venter was the beneficiary of starting opportunities against France and Italy after Ox Nche picked up an injury.

However, both of those chance outings ended before they’d truly begun, with the red cards to Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert seeing the 28-year-old pulled after just 31 minutes in Paris and 23 minutes in Turin last weekend amongst a host of tactical changes made by Rassie Erasmus.

Retained in the run-on side, he’s yet to prove that he’s a Test-calibre prop, and he’ll look to do so in this colossal clash. Dominate in Dublin and the Edinburgh loosehead will be a made man.

Ruan Nortje

Can Nortje sidestep the red card curse, or will he become the third Bok No. 5 to be sent off in as many matches after De Jager and Mostert?

I ask that tongue-in-cheekily, but with the current state of World Rugby, you never know. Hopefully, we can enjoy an epic battle contested on a level playing field without any controversial refereeing decisions.

Even though Mostert’s red card has been rescinded, he was not considered for selection due to his disciplinary appeal and hearing this week to avoid the outcomes impacting the team’s preparations for the match.

That said, Nortje has been the best in the role for the Boks this season, in my opinion, and he should have another big game with his lineout marshalling and incredible motor.

Cobus Reinach

The veteran No. 9 is playing the best rugby of his career this season and will be pivotal to the outcome of Saturday’s showdown.

In Reinach, the Boks have the best of both worlds, a player with form and experience, making him the ideal man to go head-to-head with one of the leading scrumhalves in the game in Jamison Gibson-Park.

A cool customer who’s tactically assured and dangerous at the same time, he’ll continue his impressive Yin-Yang partnership with…

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu

After being rested along with Reinach and a host of others against the Azzurri last weekend, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is back in the saddle.

The 23-year-old has been the best flyhalf in the world this year, which is mind-blowing considering it’s just his second season of Test rugby, and has shown he’s the man for the big occasion.

He steered South Africa to a 31-27 victory over the All Blacks at Ellis Park last year, a record 43-10 win over the self-same Kiwis in Wellington in September and a 32-17 triumph over France in Paris last time out.

Now, his sights are set on helping the Boks clinch their first win in Dublin since 2012.

RG Snyman

A literal giant of Bok rugby, Snyman will make his 50th appearance for South Africa when he comes on off the bench.

The 2.06m, 120kg lock made his Test debut in the 42-39 win over England at Ellis Park in 2018, and would’ve joined the elite 50-Test club much earlier had it not been for a bad run of injuries.

It’s fitting, though, that he’ll bring up the milestone in Dublin, which he now calls home. The 30-year-old, who has scored three Test tries, the most recent coming in the aforementioned record 33-point win over the All Blacks, is a second-rower unlike any other with his unique offloading prowess for a man his size.  

Erasmus was full of praise for Snyman when he announced the matchday 23 on Thursday, saying, “We are thrilled for RG and we’ll do everything we can to hopefully make this a special occasion for him.

“He’s a great player and team man, and had it not been for injuries along the way, he would have probably earned 50 caps a while ago. He deserves this achievement, and it speaks volumes about the quality of the player he is.”