'Must win' for Boks

Big moment in SA-Ireland series carries the pressure of a cup final, writes John Goliath.

Port Elizabeth - In football, coaches talk about pressure-filled games being like a “cup final”. This afternoon, in the cauldron that is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, the Springboks and Ireland face off in their own “cup final” in the third and final Test of this roller-coaster ride of a series.

The series has been a lot tighter and more competitive than predictions before the start of the seriesit began.

Ireland arrived without a plethora of big-name players after a long season had taken its toll on their bodies, but they shocked the Boks in Cape Town by showing enough character to hold on with 14 men to record their first-ever victory on South African soil

.In the second Test at Ellis Park, Ireland were 20 minutes away from recording a series victory, but the Springboks turned up the heat for the first time and four second-half tries helped keep the series alive.It's going to be another battle of attrition at a venue where the Springboks are still unbeaten.

They have recorded wins against the All Blacks and Scotland at this venue and drew with England in 2012.Ireland were dealt another couple of injury blows ahead of the match this week, while the Boks have also lost Lood de Jager and Duane Vermeulen to injury.

Those are senior players both sides would have relied on to help calm the nerves in the respective dressing rooms.

So far it's been the Irish players who have really put their hands up and led from the front, while their South African counterparts in the leadership group have produced a bit of a mixed bag in this series.

But this week, while players like captain Adriaan Strauss and veteran loosehead prop Tendai Mtawarira were quizzed about the form of the Boks’ elder statesmen, it seems like they want to shut up the doubters with a top performance and clinch the series.”It's important for the senior guys to step up and lead by example,” Strauss said.

”I also think the senior guys have done that, working hard and doing the dirty work. If you have a set-up where a lot of senior guys are doing the grafting, sometimes other players get the chance to stand out more.

”When you are a young team, or a new team, the senior guys need to fulfil some other roles as well. I can just thank the senior guys for really helping me in the first two weeks, and they have led on the field as well.

”Strauss, in particular, has come under a lot of scrutiny about his play, but coach Allister Coetzee came out to bat for him on Thursday and said that “Adriaan has played a huge role” in the side over the past month.

Strauss knows he will have a big role to play in the pressure-cooker environment this afternoon. While he would probably like to focus more on his play, the Bok captain is looking forward to display his leadership qualities.

”I enjoy the big moments and the pressure moments. It's necessary for everyone to understand when there is a big moment and you need to know the situation, but you also need to remain calm and focus on your next job,” Strauss said.

”That was the main focus, just keeping the guys in the moment and taking it play by play and phase by phase, and to still have that belief that we can win the game.”It's a big moment for Strauss and Coetzee’s Springboks this afternoon. It's going to be like a cup final.

TEAMS

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Adriaan Strauss (capt), 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbo-nambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Julian Redelinghuys, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Rudy Paige, 22 Morné Steyn, 23 Lwazi Mvovo

Ireland: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 Stuart Olding, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Jordi Murphy, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best (capt) 1 Jack McGrath.

Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Finlay Bealham, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Matt Healy.

Referee: Glen Jackson (NZ)

Kick-off: 5pm

TV: Live on SS1/SS HD1

Saturday Star