It’s the first time since July last year that these two giants of the game will clash, and the Irish will feel confident after beating the Wallabies 46-19 a week earlier, while in their last meeting with the Springboks they edged a 25-24 win at Kings’ Park in Durban. Supporters on both sides expect an intense and tightly contested encounter.

After back-to-back victories with 14 players on the field against France in Paris and Italy in Turin, the four-time World Champions are also confident, although those were two very different South African sides.

Springboks to face Ireland - SA Rugby

The Springboks have returned to what is effectively their strongest available team, and they expect a huge physical, disciplined, and structured challenge from an Irish side that always seems to carry an extra edge when facing South Africa.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi said there is a reason they haven’t beaten the Irish in the Land of Saints and Scholars for more than 12 years, and they are preparing for another gruelling contest against a team that usually manages to fire itself up much like the South Africans.

“They’re a very good team, and that’s why we’ve struggled to win here for so many years,” said Kolisi.

“It will come down to taking our chances this weekend because we’ve lost by small margins at times as a result of that, and we’ve learned a lot from those previous games.

“This is a very important Test, so we must be at our best.”

Regardless of the outcome in the Fair City, the Springboks have done enough to retain the number one spot in the world after this weekend, and those rankings will be used for the upcoming 2027 Rugby World Cup draw.

Rassie Erasmus, RG Snyman, and Siya Kolisi - SA Rugby

Meanwhile, Leinster and Springbok lock RG Snyman will play his 50th Test on his home ground on Saturday. Snyman, who stands 2.06m tall, will lead the Boks onto the pitch but will play from the bench, going against the usual approach for a Bok featuring in a milestone Test.

Kolisi praised the towering lock for his contributions to the green-and-gold.

“I’m very happy for him,” Kolisi said.

Kwagga Smith and RG Snyman - SA Rugby

“With everything he’s been through, he could have walked away at any point, and I want to credit the unions that backed him and stayed with him through all his injuries.

“He has always supported us, even when he was out, and since he returned, you can see what it means to him to be here. I’m really grateful and proud that he’s reaching this achievement. He missed two years with the team, but he kept fighting.

“He’s one of the most talented players in the squad, and hopefully we can make it special for him.”

Saturday’s Test between Ireland and the Springboks at the Aviva Stadium will kick off at 19:40.

Ireland - 15 Mack Hansen, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter

Replacements - 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Paddy McCarthy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Cian Prendergast, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Tom Farrell

South Africa - 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Boan Venter

Replacements - 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 André Esterhuizen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok

Morgan Piek OFM Sport