Springbok Test Factfile:Ireland v South Africa at Aviva Stadium, Dublin
The first rugby match played at the original Lansdowne Road Stadium took place on December, 1876 between Leinster and Munster while the first international rugby fixture took place on 11 March, 1878 when Ireland hosted England making Lansdowne Road the oldest rugby union Test venue.
- Since the first Test in 1878, Ireland has played 244 Test matches at Lansdowne Road with the last one against the Pacific Islanders in November 2006.
- The demolition of the stadium commenced on 17 May 2007 and the new Aviva Stadium was opened on 14 May 2010. Saturday’s Test will be the first test match at the new stadium.
- South Africa played 10 Tests at Lansdowne Road, wining on 6 occasions, losing 3 with one match drawn. Points for: 167; Points against: 108; Tries for: 28; Tries against: 11; Average score: 17-11. The last three Test matches in Dublin (one at Croke Park) were won by Ireland.
The Springbok Team
15 – Gio Aplon – 9 caps
14 – Bjorn Basson – 2 caps
13 – Zane Kirchner – 10 caps
12 – Jean de Villiers – 63 caps / Patrick Lambie – Uncapped
11 – Bryan Habana – 66 caps
10 – Morné Steyn – 21 caps
9 – Ruan Pienaar – 43 caps
8 – Pierre Spies – 37 caps
7 – Juan Smith – 65 caps
6 – Deon Stegmann – Uncapped
5 – Victor Matfield (Captain) – 101
4 – Bakkies Botha – 68 caps
3 – Jannie du Plessis – 20 caps
2 – Bismarck du Plessis – 32 caps
1 – Tendai Mtawarira – 22 caps
Replacements
16 – Chiliboy Ralepelle – 17 caps
17 – CJ van der Linde – 65 caps
18 – Flip van der Merwe – 6 caps
19 – Willem Alberts/Keegan Daniel – Both uncapped
20 – Francois Hougaard – 5 caps
21 – Adi Jacobs – 30 caps
22 – Patrick Lambie/Lwazi Mvovo – Both uncapped
Individual Milestones and Record Watch
- Bryan Habana needs one try to become South Africa’s most prolific try scorer in tests. Bryan currently shares the record with Joost van der Westhuizen on 38 Test tries.
- Victor Matfield will become the joint record holder for most capped Springbok – 102 tests. Percy Montgomery and John Smit are the other two Springboks with 102 test caps. He will also be the most capped Springbok forward together with John Smit.
- Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha will extend their World Record of most tests as a lock combination in the starting line-up to 57.
- CJ van der Linde needs one try to join three other Springboks (Chris Koch, Os du Randt and Gurthrö Steenkamp) as the top try scorer for a prop in Tests.
- Bismarck du Plessis needs one try to become the sole record holder for most tries in tests by a hooker. He is currently level with James Dalton on 5 career tries.
- Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis will play in their 11th test match as brothers. The most by any brother combination in Springbok Rugby.
- Other notable record holders are:
- Brian Habana – Most tries in tests as a wing – 38, also most test caps as a wing – 65.
- Victor Matfield – Most capped Springbok lock – 101.
- Pierre Spies – Most tries in tests as an eighthman. – 7.
Match records in Tests between Ireland and South Africa
Ireland:
Biggest win – 17 (32-15) in Dublin, 2006
Most points – 32 in Dublin, 2006
Most tries – 4 in Dublin, 2006
Most conversions – 3 in Dublin, 2006
Most penalty goals – 3 in Bloemfontein, 2004 and in Dublin, 2004
Most drop goals – 1 in Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Dublin, 2004
Most points by a player – 17 – Ronan O’Gara in Dublin, 2004
Most tries by a player – 2 – HS Sugars in Belfast, 1906
Most conversions by a player – 3 – Ronan O’Gara in Dublin, 2006
Most penalty goals by a player – 3 – Ronan O’Gara in Bloemfontein and Dublin, 2004
Most drop goals by a player – 1 – Ronan O’Gara in Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Dublin, 2004
South Africa:
Biggest win – 38 (38-0) in Dublin, 1912
Most points – 38 in Dublin, 1912
Most tries – 10 in Dublin, 1912
Most conversions – 4 in Dublin, 1912 and in Pretoria, 1998
Most penalty goals – 4 in Cape Town and Dublin, 2004
Most drop goals – 3 in Durban, 1981
Most points by a player – 20 – Stefan Terblanche in Bloemfontein, 1998
Most tries by a player – 4 – Stefan Terblanche in Bloemfontein, 1998
Most conversions by a player – 4 – Percy Montgomery in Pretoria, 1998
Most penalty goals by a player – 4 – Percy Montgomery in Cape Town and Dublin, 2004
Most drop goals by a player – 3 – Naas Botha in Durban, 1981
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