Regardless of the motivation, this feels like a huge game for both.
If not quite defining for South Africa’s year, with Wales still to come next week, signing off with another November clean sweep after Rugby Championship success would be an ominous sign for those hoping to wrest the World Cup from their control as Australia 2027 starts to come into focus.
Ending the wait for a win in Dublin would certainly contribute to a “great season” in the eyes of Erasmus.
“We never, I thought, played always brilliant rugby, there are times when we played horrible rugby,” said the head coach.
“So it would be great if we go into this match and we play really, really well [and] to our standards.
“I guess the last five results, there’s not a lot to pick between the two teams. So, yes, you would love to win this game. We would love to say ‘yeah, we had a great season, we beat Ireland in Dublin’ which we haven’t done since I’ve been involved.”
The need for victory is arguably more acute for the hosts. After losing their Six Nations crown to France in the spring and a low-key summer tour without their large British and Irish Lions contingent, the autumn has so far been uneven.
Deservedly beaten by New Zealand in Chicago before an unconvincing win over Japan back in Dublin, their best performance to date came against an admittedly tiring Australia last week.
Now ranked fourth in the world – below England – defeat would leave Ireland with three wins and six losses from their past nine games against the other teams in the top five and consolidate fears an ageing squad have regressed considerably from their 2023 peak.
Hooker Dan Sheehan described their final game of the year as a “great measure” of Ireland’s current state, while skipper Caelan Doris added that the perception of the autumn could be said to “hinge” on Saturday’s performance.
Farrell is rarely one to engage in black and white interpretations of performances and results, but even he called the game a “litmus test” for the current level of his team.
“We’ll learn, but we’re trying to prove to ourselves the whole time that we’re taking steps forward and this will be the litmus test for where we are,” the head coach said.
“Certainly, that’s going to concentrate the mind in the next couple of months leading up to the Six Nations.”
For better or worse, Saturday’s result seems sure to be one that will linger for some time to come.
