South Africa Strengthens its Frontline to Face Ireland in Dublin
The South Africa rugby team has reinforced its forward pack for the crucial match against Ireland in Dublin this weekend. The team has called up hooker Bongi Mbonambi and prop Ntuthuko Mchunu to strengthen their ranks. The “Boks” were reduced to 14 players for the second consecutive time on Saturday, after the red card shown to Franco Mostert against Italy. The expulsion was due to a tackle in which he did not wrap his arms and allegedly made contact with the head. Faced with this situation, the technical staff was forced to make early changes to balance the scrum. Furthermore, the absence of Lood de Jager, also due to a red card in the match against France, has necessitated the incorporation of new players.Erasmus added that both players have proven their worth in the international arena, so they are excited to have them in the group. In addition, he explained that several players will not be eligible for the last match of the tour against Wales, as the match is outside the international window. Therefore, they considered it appropriate to call up the players now so that they can rejoin the team during training this week, and at the same time increase the depth of the squad for the challenge against Ireland. South Africa has won all three matches of this tour of the UK and Europe so far and is eager to face Ireland, who are coming off a resounding victory against Australia. Damian Willemse, named “Man of the Match” against Italy, spoke about the challenge of playing in the Republic of Ireland.This is a longer tour than usual, and we have two big matches against Ireland and Wales, which led us to call up Bongi and Ntuthuko.
Rassie Erasmus, head coach
Willemse added that the team is looking forward to playing in Dublin and that they will need every member of the squad and the coaching staff to achieve the desired result. He acknowledged the quality of the Irish team and their ability, especially in Dublin. He concluded by saying that the team will return to the drawing board on Monday to refine their strategies and prepare for the challenge. The match will start at 5:40pm UK time, 7:40pm South African time.This group of players has not yet won at the Aviva Stadium, and that is definitely a goal for us. We want to deliver a solid performance, but it’s going to be a huge match.
Damian Willemse
