The short side: Tests begin and all eyes on Springboks

David Skippers
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The short side returns to Planet Rugby as we study the major talking points ahead of this weekend’s action in the international arena.

Game to watch – Ireland v Japan

With several of their first-choice players on duty with the British and Irish Lions in South Africa, a new-look Ireland side will be hoping to get the job done against Japan at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

Despite being without the services of several stars, Ireland have named a strong side and will not be lacking in motivation. They will be out for revenge as the last encounter between these teams saw the Brave Blossoms claim a deserved 19-12 victory during a pool match at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

That result was a momentous one for Jamie Joseph’s charges as it was their first ever win against Ireland at the eighth attempt with the men from the Emerald Isle victorious on the previous seven occasions.

This Test also presents Ireland head coach Andy Farrell with a chance blood some youngsters and improve the depth in his ranks, while experienced heads like captain James Ryan, Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Jacob Stockdale and Jamison Gibson-Park will be expected to be at the forefront of their charge.

Although they head into this match as underdogs, Japan are one of the most improved sides in the world and they will keen to show that their 2019 World Cup triumph on home turf was no fluke.

Team to watch – South Africa

All eyes will be on the Springboks this Friday as they will play their first game since their successful 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign when they face off against Georgia at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

With their upcoming series against the Lions looming large on the horizon, the Boks will be determined to issue a statement of intent to the famous touring team by delivering an excellent performance against the Lelos.

On paper the home side are far superior to their Eastern European opponents and nothing less than a convincing victory will satisfy Bok supporters.

But although they are heading into this fixture as overwhelming favourites, the world champions’ preparations have been far from ideal as they were forced to cancel a training session on Sunday after three players returned positive Covid-19 test results.

Despite that setback, new head coach Jacques Nienaber was still able to name a strong matchday squad which includes three newbies in Rosko Specman, Aphelele Fassi – who are the starting wings – and back-row Jasper Wiese, who has been included on the replacements bench.

Specman and Fassi are excitement machines, who are both capable of changing the course of a match with their outstanding attacking skills and they will be determined to do just that in a bid to leave a positive impression on Nienaber. Likewise Wiese, who has been in superb form for Leicester Tigers in the Premiership since joining them last November.

Also keep an eye on fly-half Handré Pollard, who has only played two matches at club level for Top 14 outfit Montpellier since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament against Racing 92 last September.

Pollard was a vital cog in the Boks’ triumphant World Cup campaign and will be hoping to make a successful return to the Test arena ahead of the Lions series.

This will only be the second Test between these teams with South Africa trouncing the Lelos 46-19 on the previous occasion at the 2003 World Cup in Australia.

Player to watch – Marcus Smith (England)

England head into battle against the USA at Twickenham on Sunday and Smith’s potential debut is a highly anticipated one as he has been in excellent form for Harlequins during their charge to the Premiership title.

The 22-year-old is a special talent and is held in high regard by England head coach Eddie Jones, who first included Smith in an England training squad in 2017 when he was just 18 years old.

Since that time, Smith’s game has come on leaps and bounds and, apart from being a lethal attacker, he has also improved his all-round game with his accurate goal-kicking and solid defence amongst the standout features of his play.

This weekend he finally gets his chance on the international stage and don’t be surprised if his outstanding skill-set plays a big part in what should be a routine victory for England.

One-v-one battle to watch – Jacob Stockdale (Ireland) v Semisi Masirewa (Japan)

We come back to that game in Dublin here where two high-class wings, who seem to attract the ball, collide in what should be a fascinating contest.

Stockdale will be hungry to make an impression in the absence of James Lowe but must be on top of his game both in attack and defence if he is to keep his doubters silenced. We all know what he is capable of in possession but the Ulster star mustn’t switch off against the Brave Blossoms debutant this weekend.

Masirewa is given the nod on the right wing and for those who watched him impress for the Sunwolves in Super Rugby, it will be a warming sight to see him capped at international level this weekend. Deadly in attack, his battle with Stockdale should be an absorbing watch as both always provide X-factor moments.

Subplot to watch – How will New Zealand perform?

There will be plenty of excitement amongst All Blacks supporters when the three-time world champions kick off their 2021 Test campaign against Tonga at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday.

After being the game’s dominant force for so long, things have not gone according to plan for the All Blacks in recent years and if truth be told the jury is still out on Ian Foster’s reign as the team’s head coach.

After their semi-final exit at the 2019 World Cup, the All Blacks delivered a mixed bag of results under Foster’s guidance in 2020. Despite winning last year’s Tri-Nations and holding on to the Bledisloe Cup, a look at the All Blacks’ results will show that things did not always go according to plan.

They only managed to win three out of the six Tests they played in 2020 with the blemishes being an unprecedented defeat to Argentina in Sydney, while they also lost to Australia in Brisbane and drew their season opener with the Wallabies in Wellington.

A 50 per cent win record for an All Blacks coach is not what New Zealanders are used to and Foster will be keen to improve that statistic in 2021. He will be hoping his troops will give him a perfect start against a Tonga side who have named 13 debutants in their matchday 23.

That sets the scene for what should be an easy victory for the men in black, who also have some new faces in their squad with centre Quinn Tupaea included in the starting line-up, while prop George Bower, back-row Ethan Blackadder and scrum-half Finlay Christie are amongst the replacements.

However, they do have plenty experience in their ranks, especially in the forwards where new captain Sam Whitelock, lock partner Scott Barrett and veteran hooker Dane Coles will be expected to lead from the front.

Meanwhile, Richie Mo’unga will be determined to hit the ground running, after being been preferred over Beauden Barrett at fly-half, while Brad Weber will also be hoping to make a positive impact in his first start in his eighth Test.

Best of the rest

In other action, Wales’ mid-year campaign kicks off when they take on Canada in what should be an entertaining clash at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Wales have dominated this fixture winning 11 of the 12 previous Tests with the Canadians’ solitary victory registered way back in 1993. Adding spice to this game is former Wales assistant coach Rob Howley’s return to Test rugby as part of the Canada’s coaching team.

Elsewhere, Argentina will get their international season underway against Romania in Budapest. The Pumas have included most of their star players in their starting line-up and will hope to be firing on all cylinders ahead of their two-Test series against Wales later in the month.

Argentina