Franco Mostert: South Africa’s second row is available to face Ireland after the red card was cancelled

“[Head contact] “It was found to be secondary to the initial shoulder contact and was made with significantly less force and below the required level of ‘danger’ required under World Rugby’s primary contact process to bring the offender to the red card threshold,” the panel wrote after reviewing replays and evidence from Mostert.

South Africa are already missing Mostert’s second-row team-mate Lood de Jager for the encounter with Ireland after de Jager was sent off for a similar incident in the Springboks’ win over France two weeks ago and was banned for the rest of the autumn internationals.

South Africa assistant coach Mzwandile Steck said on Monday that his team was being treated unfairly by officials. He also pointed to the bans imposed on Makazole Mapembe and Jan-Hendrik Wessels over incidents while on duty with the club which kept them out of South Africa’s tour of the Northern Hemisphere.

Even without De Jager, South Africa are well equipped in the second row.

Jan Kline, who made five appearances for Ireland in 2019 after qualifying for them through residency and then returned to his home country after a layoff, started against Italy, with Leinster’s RJ Snyman and Rowan Nortje on the bench.

Eben Etzebeth, who helped South Africa win the World Cup in 2019 and 2023, was rested in the match.