Handre Pollard, the fly-half for South Africa, will not be playing in the upcoming World Cup match against Ireland unless there is a last-minute injury crisis. However, South Africa does expect lock Eben Etzebeth to be fit for the game. Pollard was initially left out of the World Cup squad due to a calf problem but was called up as a replacement for injured hooker Malcolm Marx. According to Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa director of rugby, Pollard will only be selected if there are multiple injuries. Pollard recently made his return from injury in a Premiership Rugby Cup match for Leicester and will now need to catch up with the intensity of South Africa’s training sessions. Although Pollard will not be playing this weekend, South Africa plans to use him in the tournament.

On the other hand, Eben Etzebeth, who had sustained a shoulder injury against Scotland, is expected to be back in contention for the match against Ireland. The 31-year-old lock reacted well to his return to training and has been making a swift recovery. South Africa has won their first two matches of the World Cup against Scotland and Romania. Similarly, Ireland has also had a strong start to their campaign, winning their opening matches against Romania and Tonga.