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. It was class.”It was a highly unusual weekend for Irish sport, with Mack Hansen and Troy Parrott collecting hat-tricks for their respective Ireland teams. 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. 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.”

Source: The Irish Times November 19, 2025 03:03 UTC