Jacques Nienaber believes selecting Cheslin Kolbe at full-back and continuing with the Springboks' 'bomb squad' on the bench can help negate Ireland’s threats on Saturday.
The world champions have named a side brimming with skill and power for the opening game of their northern hemisphere tour at the Aviva Stadium.
Kolbe starts at full-back for the first time in his Springboks career and will also provide out-half cover for Damien Willemse, who was handed the No 10 shirt.
Nienaber has again opted for six forwards on his bench, with Faf de Klerk and Willie le Roux the only backs named among the replacements.
"We had a good look at the strengths of Ireland and feel the combination of the 6-2 split and also the combination that we selected in the back three is going to give us the best possible advantage against Ireland," said South Africa head coach Nienaber.
"Some of Ireland’s strengths are their multi-phase attack, their fitness and the speed of their breakdown. We think selecting that combination will serve us the best."
Former Ireland centre Darren Cave looks ahead to Saturday's game against South Africa
Toulon star Kolbe has played at both full-back and out-half at club level but Nienaber claimed the time was never right to hand him the No 15 shirt for South Africa.
"After about three or four games since he started with us in 2018, Cheslin was always a realistic option for us at 15," he said.
"He often trained there for us. There was just never an opportunity for us to play him there. For this specific game, having Cheslin at full-back will serve us the best.
"With us doing roadmaps on the players and performance analysis, he has been utilised at fly-half quite often, even though it is club level. Especially for Toulouse when the French team managed [Romain] Ntamack, he stepped in and played fly-half for them quite often.
"He is a very skilful player and that's the nice thing, having the versatility of a guy like Cheslin who can play full-back, wing and cover fly-half."
Putting in the hard yards 😤#Springboks #StrongerTogether #StrongerForever #IREvRSA pic.twitter.com/eFGcVTJGC7
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 1, 2022
South Africa arrived in the northern hemisphere on the back of second-place finish in the Rugby Championship, where despite some mixed results they finished just one point behind New Zealand.
The Boks scored 20 tries across their six matches but Nienaber says they face a huge challenge in attempt to break down Ireland’s well-organised defence.
"If you look at Ireland across the board, there is a reason why they’re currently No 1 in the world," said Nienaber.
"They have beaten New Zealand in New Zealand and have got a well-balanced game.
"Obviously everybody sees how well they attack and keep ball in hand, but they are the best defensive side in the world currently, conceding the least tries and points.
"That’s why it’s such a challenge for us as players and coaches, to come and compete against Ireland in November. The Aviva Stadium is a little bit of a fortress for them."
Follow a live blog on Ireland v South Africa on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app this Saturday from 5pm with live radio commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
