Ireland captain rejects ‘friendly’ label ahead of Springboks clash

Ireland captain Caelan Doris insisted that Saturday’s Nations Series Test against world champions South Africa will carry serious stakes and is “definitely not” a friendly.

He said the fixture represents “a lot on the line” and emphasised the intense rivalry between the two sides.

The 27-year-old, who scored a try in Ireland’s 46-19 win over Australia, reminded that under Andy Farrell the Irish have won three of their last four tests against the Springboks—even recording a victory over them at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

“There’s definitely a rivalry there,” said Doris at his eve of match press conference.

“There’s a strong understanding of how we both want to play the game.

“We’ve had some good results. They’ve beaten us over there as well in 2024.

“Yeah, there’s a lot on the line tomorrow [Saturday], that’s the feeling anyway.”

Victories over Japan and Australia in recent weeks have boosted Ireland’s confidence, but Doris said they must build further.

“I think probably the success of this November hinges a little bit on our performance this weekend,” he said.

“This week is a special one, the last Test match of the year for us.

“Momentum has been built, and we want to finish on a proper high.”