Despite Ireland and Scotland finishing their Six Nations campaigns on a high, Nick Mallett believes the Springboks have “nothing to fear” from either team at the upcoming World Cup.
Newly crowned Six Nations champions, Ireland has been the most consistent team in world rugby for the past three years and are currently ranked No 1, while Scotland’s recent form looks ominous.
The Boks face Ireland and Scotland in Pool B of the World Cup in six months’ time, and could potentially face hosts France in the quarter-finals.
Mallett reviewed the performances of the three countries from the 2023 Six Nations in his Sport24 column, and the former Bok coach believes South Africa still “definitely has the team to match and beat any side” that played in the competition.
“On a results basis and given who they have beaten over the last 18 months, Ireland are rightly the best side in the world presently,” he writes.
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“Even so, the one big area where the Springboks dominate Ireland is in the tight five, particularly in the front row. If the Boks play a game where they can win the battle of the scrum penalties, they will be in a good position because their first-string front row is better than Ireland’s.
“The one significant danger of the Irish side is their ability to vary their game. They don’t just thrive off driving maul; they have many attacking options off their lineout, making them very difficult to play against.
“The Springboks, however, have a contesting lineout that is very competitive and, off their own ball, the Boks have a driving maul that is incredibly difficult to stop with the forwards they have. If anyone can beat Ireland, South Africa can.”
The Scots finished the Championship with a record of three wins and two defeats, their only losses coming against France and Ireland.
Mallettt added: “The big difference in this Scottish team compared to those of years past is that you can no longer bully them in the forwards. They’ve got four good props, a couple of good hookers and decent locks, and they’ve also got a variety in the backline that makes them a good ball-carrying unit.
“Scotland are not afraid of playing in their own half. They back their runners to hold onto the ball and give Russell and the backs the chance to attack, which also feeds into the Bok defensive system.
“I’m not too concerned from a South African perspective, providing the pack of forwards dominates, which will allow them to put pressure on the half-backs and [Finn] Russell, in particular, and have his space taken away. If the Boks can force Russell into making mistakes, I back them to counter.
“South Africa definitely has the team to match and beat any side that played in the Six Nations. The Boks are in a very difficult pool, but they have nothing to fear.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
