Springboks’ De Klerk raring to go & hyped up for Ireland

Springboks scrumhalf Faf de Klerk is raring to go and hyped up as they fine-tune their preparations ahead of the duel against Ireland.

The hyped up De Klerk said the Springboks always knew a match of this calibre against Ireland was going to come at the Rugby World Cup.

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Fresh from beating Scotland via 18-3 and a massive scoreline of 76-0 against Romania, de Klerk and his Springboks teammates are hyped up for war against Ireland.

Ahead of this Saturday’s sold-out affair at Stade de France, the Springboks scrumhalf, de Klerk said there is a lot at stake against the current number one ranked side, Ireland.

SPRINGBOKS’ DE KLERK HYPED UP FOR IRELAND

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As coach Jacque Nienaber’s hyped up side has had challenging duels at the global showpiece in France, the same cannot be said about Ireland.

Ireland have had comfortable bonus point wins over Romania and Tonga but de Klerk says Springboks are well prepared and hyped up for the eagerly awaited contest.

“There’s a lot at stake. We’ve always known this game was going to be there. It’s a World Cup match and we all know what’s at stake,” De Klerk said per SARugbyMag.

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“As a group, we are very well prepared and very eager to get going and get it over with.”

Looking at the previous meetings between Ireland and the current world champions, Springboks, the South Africans enjoy an advantage of 18 wins out of their 27 previous matches.

However, Ireland have emerged as a force to be reckoned with in recent times as they have claimed four victories out of the last six meetings, this includes a 19-16 victory in Dublin last year.

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De Klerk returns to the No. 9 jersey after playing as a flyhalf versus Romania but he will be needed to cover if anything happens to Manie Libbok.

Moreover, he said it’s important to learn to win matches as it helps to foster unity and drive in the Springboks squad.

“Obviously you get confidence from winning, you learn how to win and they’ve done that,” added de Klerk.

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“If you learn how to win it just comes easier. Their biggest strength is their accuracy surrounding their whole game.

“They’ve got a very balanced game and a very high skill set. They create quick balls through dominant carries and great ruck reactions. And they have a good set-piece.”

The Springboks and Irish will lock horns in front of 80,000 spectators at 21:00 (SA Time).

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