Ireland vs South Africa live: Latest score and updates as Springboks seek rare win in Dublin in huge international clash

These two are set to meet again in Dublin in 2026 as part of rugby’s new Nations Championship, which will pit the best of the north against the best of the south (and geographical oddity Japan) across the July and November international windows. Certain details are still to be confirmed, and logistically it’s a bit of a nightmare, but it will all culminate in a finals weekend at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium this time next year.

Need a refresher of all of the November international results so far? We’ve got you covered.

In each of the last two weeks, South Africa have found it handy to have a man like Andre Esterhuizen on the bench. A centre by trade, Esterhuizen’s cross-training in the back row has paid off with his ability to fill in when required in the pack, enabling Rassie Erasmus to maintain greater strength and structure than one usually would when down to 15.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi wants his side to maintain their physical presence when they take on Ireland, despite two red cards in as many games, one of which was rescinded this week.

Lood de Jager was sent off against France and Franco Mostert versus Italy, but the Springboks won both those games with 14 men.

Mostert’s red was later rescinded, while De Jager lost an appeal, but Kolisi says that physicality is part of who they are and what has taken them to back-to-back World Cup titles.

Asked if discipline could be a deciding factor this weekend, Kolisi said they had been working hard on their tackling in particular.

“We want to play with 15 men,” he told reporters on Friday. “We’ve been working really hard on all the controllables, level changing, wrapping, doing that over and over.

“We’re an aggressive team, and we can’t take that away, which is why we work so hard to make sure we stay on the field.”

South Africa had mixed news on the disciplinary front this week, failing in an appeal to get Lood de Jager’s suspension reduced or dismissed but successfully overturning Franco Mostert’s red card against Italy. The lock isn’t involved today, but you would say justice has been done – his challenge on Paolo Garbisi just never looked like a sending off, and certainly not a straight red card.

With Japan’s Harry Hockings also having his sanction overturned, it’s been another confusing week for World Rugby’s officials.

Prendergast has new centres for company as Garry Ringrose returns from injury to partner Bundee Aki, while Andrew Porter and Josh van der Flier are brought back into the starting forward pack.

Captain Caelan Doris admits the success of Ireland’s autumn campaign hinges on today’s clash with back-to-back world champions South Africa.

Andy Farrell’s men began the month with an underwhelming defeat by New Zealand in Chicago before registering comfortable Dublin victories over Japan and Australia.

South Africa’s sole victory over Ireland in the past five meetings came in the opening Test of a 1-1 series draw on home soil in the summer of 2024.

Yet the Springboks sit top of the Test rankings and are viewed as favourites by bookmakers.

“There’s definitely a rivalry there,” said Doris. “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 in 2024. There’s a lot on the line tomorrow, that’s the feeling anyway and the lads are very excited about it.

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

“Momentum has built nicely as the weeks have gone on but this is the real test now so there’s a lot of excitement for it.

“It’s a privilege to be involved in this game.”

This feels a sizeable day for Ireland as they look to disprove a few narratives around their decline. Can they still mix it with the top teams? We may well find out this evening…

Well this should be fun. Ireland and South Africa collide in a massive meeting in the Quilter Nations Series as the Springboks look to continue their unbeaten run and secure a first win in Dublin under Rassie Erasmus. The back-to-back world champions have shown their strength in the last two weeks in overcoming first-half red cards to beat France and Italy, but an Irish side bouncing after thrashing Australia will provide a tough test.

Kick off at the Aviva Stadium is at 5.40pm GMT.