Sport

Doris not concerned with 7/1 Boks split chat

Ireland's Caelan Doris has played down any fears that Ireland may have about South Africa's 7/1 split ahead of Saturday's showdown in Paris.

South Africa's Jacques Nienaber named his side to play Ireland on Tuesday, and like many speculated, they have gone with the famed 7/1 split that became synonymous with the Boks.

For people who don't know what the 7/1 split is, South Africa has gone with seven forwards and just one back on their bench.

Teams like Ireland and others go with the likes of 6/2 or 5/3 subs bench split to mix up the options on their bench, but South Africa's plan is simple. It's pure power from the sidelines.

South Africa's 7 forwards from the bench are known as the 'bomb squad' and are usually deployed from the bench when the other teams get tired.

The world champions used the tactic to great effect in their warm-up win over New Zealand and won handsomely in Twickenham.

There has been a lot made about the 7/1 split selection since South Africa's side was named, but Doris, one of Ireland's main players, has admitted that Ireland will not be buying into the talking point ahead of the game.

The #Springboks team to face Ireland in Paris on Saturday - more here: https://t.co/hXGBgEFsJA 🤝#StrongerTogether #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/owoyetimBa

— Springboks (@Springboks) September 19, 2023

"It doesn’t actually change too much," said Doris pre-South African team announcement.

"We talk of delivering an 80-minute performance, regardless of who we are playing and knowing that some teams target the last 20 minutes.

"We also speak about our bench coming off and not just fitting in but taking it up a level so that will be important this weekend.

"We back our fitness against most teams and back our smarts as well, so we’re pretty confident in that area."

Doris has also admitted that South Africa's power isn't the only thing they have to contend with on Saturday night. The Mayo native has also highlighted the Boks' ability to play with the ball as another key issue for Ireland in Paris

The likes of Cobus Reinach and Makazole Mapimpi both scored hat-tricks in South Africa's dominant 76-0, 12-try victory over Romania in a dynamic display.

"It’s not just their size, it's the way they play," added the 25-year-old.

"They are very direct off 9, they’ll have two or three players latched onto a carrier and try to drive them over a gain line. It’s the way they maul, it’s the ruck, the way they aggressively go after it.

"It’s partly their size and their physicality and partly their mindset and the way they play that comes with that."