There is still everything to play for in the Nations Championship as the Springboks look to put a disappointing defeat against France behind them, and quickly turn attention to facing Ireland this Saturday (18:40 kick off).
The Springboks’ loss to Les Bleus was somewhat offset by the shock loss the All Blacks suffered to Wales on Saturday, but New Zealand still hold a one-point advantage over South Africa on the southern hemisphere table of the Nations Championship.
It means South Africa will need to target a bonus-point win when they kick off against Ireland this Saturday, while the All Blacks next face England.
Kick off for the Springboks against Ireland is at 18:40 (SA time)
The Springboks will make the journey from France to Ireland on Saturday for their third Nations Championship match in Dublin.
South Africa won 24-13 on their last visit to Dublin a year ago, but there is always an extra intensity whenever the Springboks face up against Ireland.
“We know a massive challenge awaits us next week in Ireland,” lock Ruan Nortjé said after the France defeat. “We know it’s a rivalry that’s been building up the last few years.
“It’s always a massive game there. I think we have our work cut out for ourselves.
“We’re going to have to put massive focus on ourselves this week. Make sure we fix a lot of areas of our game.”
Focused on improvements
Meanwhile, Siya Kolisi insisted the Springboks would know exactly what was needed in terms of improvements this week after slipping up against France.
“Early in the first half (against France) we created opportunities in the wide channels that we didn’t take, and when they created chances, they took them straight away. So, we could have been better in many areas.
“However, the effort and hard work was there from our team, and they fought till the end. But if you create so many opportunities and don’t take them against a team like this, you’re not going to get the win. We know what we need to fix, and hopefully we will play better next week.”
