The final match this Saturday in the 2023 Rugby World Cup could be the one that decides who will top Pool B as South Africa prepare to take on Ireland at Stade de France.
This is probably the pick of the matches this weekend, and it does not get much bigger than the reigning world champions going toe-to-toe against the current number-one ranked team in the world.
Match preview
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South Africa are hitting their best form at just the right time, and they will come into this match full of confidence, having got their World Cup defence off to the perfect start over the first two weeks of the competition.
The Springboks earned a hard-fought 18-3 victory over Scotland during the opening weekend and followed up with a crushing win last week, scoring 76 unanswered points against Romania with what most consider their second-string side.
However, having only earned a single bonus point so far, South Africa currently sit behind Ireland with nine points, although a win here will see them take total control of the pool that many referred to as the group of death.
Jacques Nienaber and Rassie Erasmus have been anything but conventional in the last few months and have kept true to form in this one, announcing the 7-1 split that they employed against New Zealand to great effect at Twickenham during the warm-up matches.
Naturally, that leaves the Springboks vulnerable in the event that they sustain two or more injuries in their backline, but as they have shown over the last few months, they have the personnel to make major reshuffles with little issue.
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Meanwhile, Ireland are sitting pretty at the top of Pool B and have taken the maximum points in each of their last two matches with an 82-8 win over Romania and a 59-16 victory over Tonga last weekend.
While most would have expected Ireland to come out on top in those matches, the manner in which they conducted themselves was of the highest level of professionalism, which can sometimes be difficult when facing lower-ranked opponents.
Ireland asserted their dominance in the forward positions, capitalised on scoring opportunities early in each of their games, and then surged ahead with their superior performance, which is similar to what we saw them do in the Six Nations earlier this year.
Andy Farrell's side are now on an incredible run of 15 consecutive wins dating back to July 2022, which is the longest active winning streak of any team competing in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Going into this match, Ireland need to execute the basics effectively against South Africa by avoiding isolated runners on the floor and making wise decisions with the ball, while Johnny Sexton's kicking game for field position could prove to be vital.
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Team News
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As mentioned, Nienaber has opted for the 7-1 'Bomb Squad' in this match while also making as many as 13 changes to the team he fielded last week against Romania.
Damian Willemse and Bongi Mbonambi are the only two who have kept their place in the starting 15, while the big news for the Springboks will be the return of Eben Etzebeth after an injury scare against Scotland.
With Malcolm Marx ruled out of the remainder of the tournament through injury, South Africa have opted to call up Handre Pollard, meaning the Mbonambi is the only recognised hooker in the squad.
As for Ireland, Farrell has opted to maintain his centre partnership with Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose, who will start their third consecutive match in midfield.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe make up the backline, while skipper Sexton and the tricky Jamison Gibson-Park team up in the halves pairing.
Ireland's pack remain unchanged from last weekend, with Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Tadhg Furlong occupying the front row with Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan behind them, while Dan Sheehan has returned to fitness and has been named on the bench.
South Africa starting lineup: 15. Damian Willemse, 14. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. Damian de Allende, 11. Cheslin Kolbe, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Faf de Klerk, 8. Jasper Wiese, 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Siya Kolisi (c), 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Frans Malherbe, 2. Bongi Mbonambi, 1. Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16. Deon Fourie, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Trevor Nyakane, 19. Jean Kleyn, 20. RG Snyman, 21. Marco van Staden, 22. Kwagga Smith, 23. Cobus Reinach
Ireland starting lineup: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. James Lowe, 10. Johnny Sexton (c), 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 8. Caelan Doris, 7. Josh van der Flier, 6. Peter O'Mahony, 5. James Ryan, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 2. Ronan Kelleher, 1. Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16. Dan Sheehan, 17. Dave Kilcoyne, 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. Iain Henderson, 20. Ryan Baird, 21. Conor Murray, 22. Jack Crowley, 23. Robbie Henshaw
Head To Head
South Africa and Ireland have played each other a total of 27 times in the past. The Springboks have won 18 times, and Ireland have won eight, while one match ended level. Despite South Africa's dominance, Ireland have been victorious in the last two meetings.
We say: South Africa 27-21 Ireland
This match has all the makings to be the best one we have witnessed in the tournament to date, and there is very little to choose between the sides based on their solid performances up to this point.
South Africa's kicking has been questionable so far, but what they lack off the boot they more than make up for in their pack. We expect a back-and-forth contest here but are backing the Springboks to edge it by a slender margin.
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Devesh Jaganath
