Sonny Bill Williams believes it’s “scary” how much better this Bok squad is to Japan 2019, and tips the world champs to beat Ireland in a World Cup thriller on Saturday.
Top-ranked Ireland will face the Springboks at the Stade de France, in a World Cup Pool B clash that will be decisive for both teams’ quarter-final ambitions.
Andy Farrell’s charges claimed a narrow win when they faced the Boks last November, but asked in a Stan Sport segment to predict this weekend’s winners in Saint-Denis, Williams highlighted South Africa’s electric finishers like Kurt-Lee Arendse as game-changers.
“I can’t pick between the two, they’re both serious contenders. Big, strong, physical… [and] depth,” said the former All Blacks centre, now pundit, who also has ties to SA through his partner, Alana.
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‘They both know their DNA; when you’re watching them play they both know exactly what type of style suits them.
“We’ve got the South African team that have got finishers now. I honestly believe that SA are a better team than they were four years ago, as scary as that sounds.
“Just because of the finishers that they have and the experience that they’ve got from the previous World Cup.
“But Ireland, man… that forward pack, that loose-forward trio, that tight five, that subtle skills that they have… they play that real flat in-your-face style which builds momentum and causes gaps. And they know how to play their game of attrition.
“Man, it’s a coin toss this week’s game, it’s a coin toss. I’m going to have to go with SA just because my wife’s South African and I’ve got South African kids. Just like that!”
All eyes on #RSAvIRE@seanny202 & @SonnyBWilliams dive into it #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/4kg2x0oEAF
— Rugby Bits (@RugbyBits) September 20, 2023
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter