'I remember being shocked at just the sheer size of them, playing them in November.'
Ireland loose forward Caelan Doris is excited about the clash against the Springboks. Picture: Hans van der Valk/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Doris concedes their opponents have “evolved quite a bit” since then but so too, he added, have the Irish: ranked number one in the world they secured the Six Nations Grand Slam in March and are now on a 15-match unbeaten run.The run includes a 19-16 win over the Springboks in Dublin last November which Doris says has “definitely” given them confidence.
However, he is under no illusions the South Africans, also with two wins under their belt, will be nowhere near as generous as their previous opponents.Doris was especially impressed by how they performed, both in offence and defence, when they inflicted a record 35-7 defeat on fellow three-time world champions New Zealand in a warm-up match last month.“Physicality is the word which springs to mind,” he said.
As for intimidating atmospheres, Doris says previous experience of playing at the Stade de France — when France beat them in their Six Nations match last year — will help.
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