Buoyed by a fighting win over Italy, the Springboks are ready and waiting for whatever Ireland throws at them at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, says SA backline star Canan Moodie.
After wins over Japan, France and Italy, the Boks are hunting for a fourth consecutive victory on their European tour at an intimidating venue that has not been kind to them in recent years.
The Boks, who last won at the Aviva Stadium in 2012, will be up against an Irish side who whipped the Wallabies 46-19 at the weekend.
“We will see what Ireland throws at us, and we will be well prepared for everything they bring on Saturday,” Moodie said.
“It was an important win over Italy last weekend, and we knew they came into the contest with a good win over Australia under their belt, so we knew it would be tough.
“Things did not go our way early on when we got a red card [to Franco Mostert], and we had to fight and bring out our SA qualities.
“The Boks had to grind it out and work for one another, and luckily we did that and got a good win.”
Moodie said the squad was a special group, with everyone making plans and not just thinking about themselves.
“They are selfless and work for the better of the team.
“A lot of guys had to go off early after the red card, but we made plans with guys who could cover more positions and be all around the park.
“What makes this group special is they fought through adversity after getting the red card early on.
“We made plans and got the win.”
Moodie said he was looking to renew his centre pairing partnership with Ethan Hooker in the near future.
“Unfortunately, because of the changes, Ethan and I only played about 10 minutes together at the centre pairing,” he said.
“But this is something we hope to carry on with in the future. We will see if the opportunity comes again.
“People asked a lot of questions about the team that we put out for Italy, but that showed the trust the coaches have in us.
“Guys, we have not played a lot for the Boks this year, but we came out and showed fight and grit and got a good win.
“It is all down to the coaches for trusting us to do a job on the field.
“The opening three wins have given us a lot of confidence for the Ireland game.
“We had to fight out two of the games with tries coming in the last 20 minutes. That gives us confidence we can play for the full 80 minutes.”
Bok fullback Damian Willemse praised the efforts of a team that had been labelled a B-side ahead of the Azzurri clash.
“In the week, as a team we came together. There was a lot said in the media that this is a B team, and we felt that was a bit of disrespect towards a lot of the players in the team,” Willemse said.
“Some of the guys have won World Cups and are double World Cup winners, like Handré Pollard.
“Ethan Hooker has shown tremendous form, as has Canan Moodie, and it didn’t sit well with us.
“The boys showed that, and I’m really proud of each and every one — the coaching staff, the physios, the whole staff.
“This is a performance which we will remember for a long time.”
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus will name his team to face Ireland on Thursday.
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