Ireland will look to draw inspiration from the Republic of Ireland’s recent wins as Andy Farrell’s side take on World Champions South Africa at the Aviva Stadium this weekend.
“It was brilliant,” said Ireland secondrow James Ryan, a few of the squad having been to see Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men earn a 2-0 win over Portugal at the Aviva last Thursday.
“Amazing, amazing game to watch,” he added of Sunday’s 3-2 win against Hungary in Budapest. “Couldn’t believe it at the end.
“I watched it at home. We were back in camp Sunday evening, but I watched it at home. It was class.”
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It was a highly unusual weekend for Irish sport, with Mack Hansen and Troy Parrott collecting hat-tricks for their respective Ireland teams.
But turning his focus to Saturday, when Ireland return to the Aviva to face the Springboks (kick-off 5.40pm) in their last outing of the November series, Ryan said he’s happy with how they’re shaping up.
“I think we are little bit closer to where we want to be. We’ve had a little bit of a mixed campaign. We definitely started poorly against New Zealand and we were much better against Japan, better again against Australia.
“So, for us, this weekend is just about putting it all together and it’s going to need our most complete performance yet.
“South Africa are a team that challenge you in every part of the game; in the air, on the ground. It’s going to need to be our best performance in quite a while. It’s hugely exciting for us. They are the best team in the world, so we can’t wait.”
And not unlike their Republic of Ireland counterparts, Ryan expects nothing less than a tough fight from start to finish against the Springboks.
“As a forward, I guess their set-piece, their scrum and lineout, has been so consistent over so many years.
“That would be a big one for me. But they show real grit, real fight at times when things don’t go their way, so again that’s another thing you would admire.”
