It’s time for game two of two as Ireland complete their tour of South Africa with a second almighty rugby clash against the Springboks on Saturday.
Kings Park is the venue in Durban, with the Irish seeking revenge for their 27-20 loss in the opener a week ago.
That marked a first win in the contest for the Boks in eight years, with the mission now to seal the series.
International Rugby: South Africa vs Ireland – kick off 17.00 SAST
The Test series is on the line on Saturday, as South Africa and Ireland battle it out once again in Durban this Saturday.
It was a vanishingly rare win over the Irish for a Springboks side used to dominating most rugby nations last week, as they sealed a 27-20 success at Loftus Versfeld last weekend.
Eight years had passed since last Bok win over the men from the Emerald Isle, who also secured victory over Siya Kolisi’s side at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France less than a year ago.
But they came good amid a raucous Pretoria atmosphere.
Kurt-Lee Arendse helped the noise no end with his opening try in the third minute, before Handre Pollard then took control with the boot on his old stomping ground.
Jamie Osborne pulled a score back before the break and it was very nearly game on after an hour, only for James Lowe to see his breakaway try chalked off by the TMO.
Cheslin Kolbe pounced on a loose ball to add another, although Connor Murray hit back to leave the home crowd on edge.
A late penalty try ultimately proved decisive, leaving Ryan Baird’s try at the death nothing more than a consolation.
And the Boks are in no mood for letting up, with coach Rassie Erasmus naming their most experienced squad of all time for the second Test.
The unchanged side boasts a whopping 990 caps between them, suggesting Erasmus is looking for more to consolidate their place at the top of the global pile.
Captain Peter O’Mahoney is a surprise relegation to the bench for Ireland, meaning Caelan Doris take over as skipper on the day.
Tadhg Beirne replaces O’Mahoney on the flank, with James Ryan coming into the second row.
Garry Ringrose has been brought into the midfield to add vital experience for the tourists.
Team % WIN SCORE
South Africa 67 25
Ireland 32 15
South Africa Starting XV: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handré Pollard 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Marco van Staden, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
Ireland Starting XV: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Calvin Nash, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Jack Crowley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Peter O’Mahony, 21 Caolin Blade. 22 Ciaran Frawley, 23 Stuart McCloskey.