AFTER all the hype in the media and the talk buzzing around South Africa, fans were bitterly disappointed with the dismal performance that the Springboks put in against the Irish on Saturday in Cape Town.
It took just 14 men to make Springbok biltong.
But despite having registered their first win on SA soil and being on the brink of becoming the third Irish team to win a three-Test series in SA, the Irish know that Allister Coetzee’s men will not be a pushover at Ellis Park come Saturday.
Despite critics nailing the Boks on their poor performances of late, veteran loose forward Jamie Heaslip has made it clear that the Boks remain one of the mighty powerful outfits in World rugby.
Keeping this in mind, the Irish have been working extra hard this week heading into this weekend’s clash, knowing that according to history books, the Boks generally bounce back with force.
But with first choice flyhalf Patrick Lambie out and big names not standing out or stepping up on Saturday, one only hopes that history repeats itself and that the Boks make Irish stew.
Changes need to be made in the starting XV if the Boks want to make a difference.
JP Pietersen needs to be dropped from the match day 23, with Francois Louw, Lionel Mapoe and Willie le Roux.
The likes of Ruan Combrinck, Jaco Kriel and Jesse Kriel need to start as they are the men in form.
Duane Vermuelen needs to lead from the front and inspire others to up their game.
If these changes happen, then I firmly believe that the Boks can rebound and give the Irish a good hiding.
