Cheslin Kolbe says South Africa will need absolute clarity and composure to finally crack Ireland in Dublin, as the Springboks prepare for another brutal showdown at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The Bok winger admitted the fixture has become one of the sport’s fiercest modern rivalries, even if the squad hasn’t dwelled on the history.

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“It’s not something that we’ve been thinking about, but we definitely haven’t won in Dublin since 2012 if I’m not mistaken and whether we played in South Africa or came here, it’s always been 50-50,” Kolbe said.

“But we just need to make sure that we implement what we want to implement on the weekend and what the coaches have set out for us, but at the same time adapting to the scenarios on the field. South Africa-Ireland is always a massive game and it’s going to be as physical as you can get.”

Kolbe has never tasted victory at the Aviva, and says the Boks know exactly what’s required to change that this weekend.

“For me personally as a player, I’ve never won here,” he said. “We came close I think in 2022, but just didn’t capitalise on a few opportunities and shots at goal that definitely cost us back then. But it’ll obviously be massive for the team, for our growth and the way we want to move forward. You want to win every Test match and our focus is just to train as well as can throughout this week and that we’re as confident as we can be going into the weekend and just implement what we’ve trained throughout the week and play a good game of rugby.”

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With recent clashes decided by slim margins, Kolbe stressed that it’s a non-negotiable to match Ireland’s accuracy.

“In these games that are so close you’ve got to make sure you capitalise on every single opportunity and they’ve been doing that really well over the past few years,” he said. “It’s a team that’s well-coached and has good structure to their game, so if you’re not up for it on the day, they can definitely hurt you.”

Ireland’s aerial pressure has been a major point of analysis for the Boks this week, with Kolbe saying the contest in the air will again be decisive.

“Rugby overall has changed a lot. Kicking has become a big weapon for all teams and it helps us in the way we want to play,” he said.

“Their kicking game has definitely – not improved, it’s always been there for them – but they’re capitalising quite a lot getting in the air and those lost balls that create the scraps, they’ve been more desperate than other teams to win those opportunities.

“I obviously love running with the ball but it’s a skill that I’ve learnt since I made my debut in 2018 and something I continue to work at. The kicking game has been a big emphasis for all teams in world rugby.”

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Kolbe also revealed the Boks have been drilling contingency plans hard, knowing that recent Tests have thrown up unpredictable scenarios.

“There are definitely a lot of scenarios we train during the week because you never know what can happen on the weekend,” he said. “We need to be able to adapt and be able to control what we can control between the four lines.”

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