South Africa kick off their Northern Hemisphere tour on Saturday with an almighty clash against international big guns Ireland in Dublin.
As the 2023 Rugby World Cup looms on the horizon, the Aviva Stadium tie is a key staging post for Springboks coach Jacques Nienaber as they prepare their title defence.
New Zealand’s All Blacks are also in action across the Irish Sea against Wales among the other fixtures, while Twickenham is the venue on Sunday as England host Argentina.
International Rugby: Ireland vs South Africa – kick off 19.30 SAST
The road to the 2023 Rugby World Cup starts here for the Springboks, as they begin their end-of-year tour away to Ireland.
Jacques Nienaber’s reigning global champions have endured an inconsistent couple of years as they build towards the showpiece tournament in France, not to mention the sideshow that is Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and his off-field antics.
But there’s a wealth of experience on the park for their tour opener against the world’s number one-ranked nation.
And it starts with the return of Cheslin Kolbe, who missed the Rugby Championship campaign through injury but returns here wearing the number 15 jersey for the first time in green and gold.
Damian Willemse starts at fly-half, while Kolbe’s shift to full-back affords Kurt-Lee Arendse the chance to start on the wing along with old stager Makazole Mapimpi.
The pack, meanwhile, is a terrifying prospect oozing with World Cup-winning pedigree.
Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe head up the front row either side of hooker Malcolm Marx, with Lood de Jager and Eben Etzebeth an almighty prospect in the lock pairing.
And don’t forget captain Siya Kolisi and former World Rugby Player of The Year Pieter-Steph du Toit for good measure.
But Ireland are top of the world rankings for a reason and are led as ever by veteran fly-half and professional referee pest Johnny Sexton.
The captain shares half back duties with long-term comrade Conor Murray, for whom Saturday’s Aviva Stadium contest marks his 100th cap in emerald green.
Hugo Keenan is a surprise pick at full-back for English coach Andy Farrell, having not played all season due to injury.
Ireland Starting XV: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Mack Hansen, 10 Johnny Sexton (captain), 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Stuart McCloskey.
South Africa Starting XV: 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, , 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Lodewyk de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17 Retshegofaditswe Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Deon Fourie, 21 Albertus Smith, 22 Francois de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux.
Rugby predictions for fixtures on 5 – 6 November 2022
There is a bundle of international rugby action across the weekend, with the fixture programme leading to Sunday’s contest between England and Argentina at Twickenham.
New Zealand are at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium to do battle with Wales on Saturday, while France and Australia contest a match full of intrigue in Paris later that evening.
Improving Scotland are also on home turf on Saturday when they welcome Fiji.
Prediction methodology explained: The expected win percentage is based off publicly available odds. For example, if a team’s odds are 2.30, the expected chance of winning is 43%. If the odds are 1.62 the expected chance of winning is 62% and so on. These are accurate at the time of writing but are subject to change. Where there is no value listed, the odds were not available at the time of writing. Score margins use the methodology developed by Rugby Vision.
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| Scotland | 90,8 | 19 |
| Fiji | 9,2 | |
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| Wales | 22,2 | |
| New Zealand | 77,8 | 10 |
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| Ireland | 74,8 | 9 |
| South Africa | 25,2 | |
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| France | 77,8 | 10 |
| Australia | 22,2 | |
| Chance of winning (%) | Points margin | |
| England | 86,3 | 15 |
| Argentina | 13,7 |
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Antoinette is a recovering journalist. She has won multiple Sports Journalist of the Year awards and with bylines in The Guardian, Sports Illustrated, Daily Maverick and the New Statesman – among others. She thinks it is a bit odd writing about herself in the third person, unless she is playing as herself in The Sims. She hopes one day Ian Google will love her again.
