Ireland will meet a confused and irritated South African team on Saturday. The Springboks shipped another red card in Turin last weekend when lock Franco Mostert was sent off in their 32-14 win over Italy.
The weekend before, it was Lood de Jager whose actions were deemed “always illegal” before he was sent to the line after 38 minutes against France.
Not at all pleased with officials is the South African mood in the run-in to Saturday’s match against Ireland, with player appeals and hearings setting a tone of hurt.
“I think he (Mostert) is going to have a hearing tomorrow or Wednesday and also Lood de Jager is going through another appeal (against a four-week ban),” said Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick at the team hotel. “But yeah, as a team we are just disappointed with how things are flowing at the moment.”
RM Block
South Africa arrived in Dublin on the back of victories against France and Italy.
“Every week we are losing players and it’s sad,” said Stick. “Because if you are saying that Franco Mostert is a red card, probably over the weekend, if you saw the incidents surely there should be more than five red cards.
“All of a sudden, other situations become yellow cards. We are just disappointed with the way things are being handled. I think from our side as coaches, we still have to work hard.
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“They (players) try to do everything by the book, but because rugby is a physical game, sometimes you don’t get it perfect. For them to say the tackle was never legal, it’s disappointing. Are we treated fairly? I don’t think so.”
Casting a sideways a glance at Eben Etzebeth sitting beside him, Stick emphasises his point. Because of his size, Etzebeth must get low to make legal tackles and avoid head contact. Mostert was sent off for a dangerous hit on Paolo Garbisi.
One of the tallest figures in the game at a fraction over two metres, Etzebeth – a double World Cup-winning lock – did not play last week.
Despite his size and the red cards South Africa have received, he says he is unlikely to adjust his power game or tackle technique to err on the side of caution against Ireland.
“Obviously we just need to be aware that as long as we level change (adjust height), you would assume you’d always be safe and get the benefit of the doubt,” he says. “So, for me personally, I’ll just keep on playing the game I play and I feel the other locks will be the same.
“Luckily, when Rassie [Erasmus] picked the squad, there were six locks. So, we don’t know what’s going to happen with Lood and Franco, but we’ve still got myself, JK (Jean Kleyn), Ruan Nortje and RG [Snyman], and also a guy like Pieter-Steph [du Toit] or Ben-Jason [Dixon], who can cover locks, so I don’t think it affects us much in the game.”
Mostert received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Garbisi by referee James Doleman, while De Jager was hit with his four-match ban after he was red-carded for a high tackle on French back Thomas Ramos.
Etzebeth will step onto the Aviva Stadium pitch as the most-capped Springbok of all time. Having surpassed Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps last year, he now has 138 caps.
Despite playing professional rugby since 2012, winning two World Cups as well as a bronze medal in the 2015 tournament, he is adamant neither he nor the Springbok squad lack ambition or drive.
Ireland beat the Springboks 13-8 in Stade de France during the group stage of the 2023 World Cup.
“No, I wouldn’t say so,” says Etzebeth to a question about any perceived lack of motivation in the team. “I think it’s a completely different challenge.
“We are playing in Ireland against them. That [World Cup] was more than a year and a half ago. We’ve seen a lot can happen in rugby in one week, so a lot has changed since that game.
“They (Ireland) have been on top of the world rankings, in the top three or four in the last few years – a quality side.
“When we saw the calendar it was definitely one of the fixtures that stood out, so we’re excited for this weekend. It’s going to be a good occasion.”
If Etzebeth needs a finer read on Ireland, he need look no further than Leinster’s Snyman or Munster’s Kleyn, as well as former Irish hooker Jerry Flannery and fullback Felix Jones who are both assistant coaches in the Springboks set-up. Kerry man Paddy Sullivan is also the team’s performance analyst.
“Like I said, the whole coaching staff, we’ve got quite a few foreigners in our group, but we don’t really see them as foreigners any more,” says Etzebeth. “We see them as part of the Springboks and they really make a difference.”
High praise from a secondrow who will have “low” embedded in his mind on Saturday
