Springbok challenge to provide a welcome variety

With the Six Nations regulars, four games against New Zealand and even a couple versus Japan, there's been a familiarity to the opposition Ireland have faced in this World Cup cycle.

Thankfully, the next three weeks will provide some alternative opposition for Andy Farrell's side, as South Africa, Fiji and Australia come to town for the Bank of Ireland Nations Series, and a chance to test their game against different styles.

It's no secret that South Africa have what Liam Neeson would describe as "a very particular set of skills", with a physicality and set-piece that Ireland haven't had a chance to pit themselves against in this World Cup cycle.

The closest comparison, Andy Farrell says would be the Six Nations meeting with France earlier this year, where in spite of Ireland running them close, Les Bleus proved far too powerful over the course of the 80 minutes.

"They play a good territory-type, strangling game," Farrell said, when asked about the Springbok point of difference earlier this week.

"That didn't work out too well for us in the end [v France], so we have to show progression from that."

In the five years since the sides last met, both have gone through remarkable transitions. Ireland's 38-3 win against the Boks in November 2017 kickstarted their run towards a record-breaking 2018, and while the wheels fell off the bandwagon in 2019 Ireland have rebuilt themselves to the point where they enter this international block as the world's number one side.

For the Springboks, the 2017 defeat was the point of bottoming-out before their swift turnaround to become world champions just under two years later. They looked in freefall as they waited for Rassie Erasmus to arrive as their new director of rugby, and a further defeat