The Irish summer tour takes them to South Africa, the home of the reigning World Cup champions. The first Test is slated to take place on Saturday, July 6th at 4pm, according to Irish time. The venue for the match is Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld stadium, known for its high altitude.
Interested viewers can tune in, although it might not be as straightforward as with Six Nations or November international matches. The summer games won’t be broadcast on free-to-air channels, hence outlets like RTÉ and Virgin won’t be showing it. Sky Sports will be covering the weekend tournament, and their programming commences at 3.30pm. If you’re not a Sky subscriber, consider getting a NowTV pass.
Adam Foy, the lad from Belvo with a Super Rugby medal, is one to watch for. In an unusual twist, this series has been plagued by an abundance of controversial remarks, which aren’t typically a trait of rugby games. Contention has arisen from all corners, both within and without the teams. Eben Etzebeth, a lock for the Springboks, publicly accused Ireland of disrespect following their World Cup victory over South Africa. He claimed Ireland was arrogant for telling them “see you in the final”, overlooking the fact that they were yet to face New Zealand.
On another note, Simon Zebo chimed in with his comments, suggesting that the South African coach Rassie Erasmus holds some grudge against Ireland. This prompted Erasmus to respond, inviting him to “spice things up”, after Zebo reached out to apologise. Fans who saw Chasing the Sun, a documentary that tracked South Africa’s latest World Cup journey, may recognise their fondness for employing the age-old tactic of using negative press cuttings as motivational fodder in dressing rooms. It seems the Irish media provides substantial content for this purpose. But perhaps that’s our own doing? The team line-up will be announced soon.
The squad that has journeyed to Ireland seems to be in peak health condition ahead of the initial Test. Jamison Gibson-Park, tragically, didn’t make the journey due to an injury incurred whilst playing for Leinster. Recently, significant worries revolved around Garry Ringrose’s fitness, however, he did participate in the URC semi-final for Leinster against the Bulls, a match also held in Pretoria.
World Cup victors, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe and Lukhanyo Am have been reinstated to the South African squad after missing the game against Wales in the preceding month. Kolisi will resume his role as the captain for the ‘Boks. The announcement of the squads for the forthcoming first test will happen later this week.