This is THE shock of this group stage. South Africa, reigning world champion, challenges Ireland, the current best nation in the world rankings, Saturday September 23 at 9 p.m. at the Stade de France. Both teams have each performed flawlessly so far and have impressed so far. Although they are already almost assured of qualifying for the quarter-finals, they are still competing for the top of Group B. Follow the match in our live stream.
The promise of physical combat. The match pits the two strongest nations in world rugby today and is expected to reach heights of power and intensity. South African coach Jacques Nienaber therefore decided to place seven forwards on the bench for just one backline player. Impressively powerful in their first two matches, the two teams are clearly playing in the same category. The Irish pack reached 894 kg, two less than that of the Boks.
The Blues’ potential opponent in the quarter-finals. The clash will also interest the XV of France, since Fabien Galthié and his men should cross paths with one of the two protagonists of the evening in the quarter-final. If France finished first in its group, it would play the second in group B and therefore in theory the loser of this match, whereas if it finished in second place, it would face the first, the winner of this tough duel. A shock which will be followed with great attention by the XV of France, which remains on a defeat against the XV of Clover (after three victories in a row) and on a victory against the Boks (after seven consecutive defeats).
A first duel in the history of the World Cup. Never before this duel at the top of Pool B had South Africans and Irish met in the World Cup. Certainly, the Springboks did not participate in the first two editions of the global competition, in 1987 and 1991, after being banned from world rugby due to apartheid. But it is surprising that a three-time world champion (1995, 2007, 2019) has never crossed paths with one of the major nations of the northern hemisphere. Perhaps because the XV of Clover has never reached the last four of a World Cup. In the test match, the balance clearly tilts in favor of the Springboks, winners of 18 of the 27 confrontations between the two teams.