South Africa vs Ireland - all you need to know

Sport. It's everyplace astatine nan moment. Euro 2024 and Wimbledon are successful afloat swing, pinch nan Paris Olympics conscionable a fewer weeks away.

But rugby isn't astir to beryllium near retired of nan summertime sporting bonanza pinch nan location nations gearing up for mouthwatering inter-hemispheric series.

England are successful New Zealand to look nan All Blacks, Wales are playing Australia while Scotland sojourn Chile and Uruguay aft their North American trip.

But possibly nan astir eagerly anticipated matches are taking spot successful nan location of nan back-to-back world champions arsenic South Africa big Ireland.

As nan apical 2 teams successful nan world who stock a beautiful aggravated rivalry, immoderate lucifer betwixt nan Springboks and nan Irish is container agency and thankfully this summertime we person two.

Here is each you request to cognize astir South Africa v Ireland.

It is simply a two-Test series. Following a gruelling play that included a World Cup, a two-Test tour, arsenic opposed to three, was organised.

The opening Test takes spot successful Pretoria pinch nan 2nd Test successful Durban:

Sky Sports will beryllium broadcasting some games.

BBC Sport will person unrecorded matter commentaries, reports and guidance from some matches.

Well, mostly. Both teams, however, are missing cardinal players.

Ireland will beryllium without a number of important players, pinch nan backline taking a large hit. Full-back Hugo Keenan is preparing for nan Olympics pinch nan Ireland sevens team, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Mack Hansen - who scored a effort against South Africa successful past year's World Cup - are injured.

The battalion will besides beryllium missing immoderate seasoned campaigners. British and Irish Lion number 8 Jack Conan is unavailable owed to individual reasons, while Ulster skipper Iain Henderson is injured.

Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne and Cormac Izuchukwu are nan uncapped players successful Andy Farrell's travelling party.

South Africa caput coach Rassie Erasmus is not without his wounded issues, though. Wings Edwill van der Merwe and Makazole Mapimpi and scrum-half Faf de Klerk are doubts for nan first Test, while inferior backmost Canan Moodie will only beryllium disposable for nan 2nd game.

Prop Steven Kitshoff - who precocious ended a short stint astatine Ulster - locks Jean Kleyn and Lood de Jager, and Damian Willemse are besides missing.

South Africa squad:

Forwards: Phepsi Buthelezi, Ben-Jason Dixon, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit, Eben Etzebeth, Johan Grobbelaar, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (capt), Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Salmaan Moerat, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane, Evan Roos, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Jasper Wiese.

Backs: Lukhanyo Am, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Faf de Klerk, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Wilie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Makazole Mapimpi, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams.

Ireland squad:

Forwards: Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu, Oli Jager, Ronan Kelleher, Joe McCarthy, Peter O'Mahony (capt), Tom O'Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Nick Timoney, Josh van der Flier.

Backs: Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Robbie Henshaw, Jordan Larmour, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale (Ulster).

Ireland person had nan separator recently. Last year, nan Irish produced a battling show to hit South Africa 13-8 successful their World Cup Pool B brushwood astatine Stade de France successful Paris.

South Africa, of course, went connected to triumph nan tourney while Ireland were knocked retired of nan quarter-finals by New Zealand.

That was Ireland's 3rd successive triumph complete nan Boks, having besides won 38-3 and 19-16 successful Dublin successful 2017 and 2022.

Significantly, though, Ireland person ne'er claimed a bid triumph successful South Africa. Two years ago, they claimed their first bid triumph successful New Zealand successful memorable fashion, beating nan All Blacks 2-1.

In fact, Ireland person conscionable 1 triumph from 10 matches against nan Boks successful South Africa. That came successful 2016 erstwhile Joe Schmidt's broadside won 26-20 successful Cape Town. South Africa, however, regrouped to triumph successful Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth and return nan series.

Quite a lot, actually.

South Africa's Eben Etzebeth and Damian de Allende were among those to stoke nan flames up of nan series.

De Allende said of really nan Springboks felt "disrespected" by dense media disapproval aft a crushing conclusion by Ireland successful Dublin successful 2017, while Etzebeth said nan Irish had been "arrogant" by telling South Africa's players "see you guys successful nan final" astatine past year's World Cup aft Andy Farrell's broadside won their Pool B encounter.

Ireland's South Africa-born onslaught coach Mike Catt side-stepped a warfare of words past week, saying: "People tin opportunity what they want. It intends thing to us. It's thing we don't peculiarly interest about.

"Let them support talking. It's not a problem. It doesn't substance anything. It doesn't make it immoderate aliases worse. We cognize precisely what we request to do to spell down location and beryllium successful."

Erasmus - who has ne'er beaten Ireland - has besides been negotiated successful nan build-up, saying Farrell's broadside correspond a "big step-up" from Wales, who nan Boks hit comfortably astatine Twickenham connected 22 June.

“There is simply a immense excitement successful nan group for nan situation up and that was evident connected and disconnected nan section this week," said Erasmus.

“Everyone knows that a large step-up is required adjacent week, but we are pleased pinch nan momentum we built up by defeating Wales and getting world crippled clip nether nan belt."