Andrew Trimble has said Ireland's heroic Cape Town victory last Saturday has given them the appetite to make more history in South Africa.
The 14-man tourists escaped with a first ever victory on South African soil in front of 42,620 stunned fans at Newlands Stadium, producing a display laced with guts, heart and incredible resolve.
Ulster wing Trimble admitted victory came a cost as Irish players nursed bumps and bruises after a typically attritional contest with the Boks, but is relishing the prospect of taking a second success away from Johannesburg on Saturday.
“By the time I landed in Johannesburg I felt I’d been in a car crash!" the 31-year-old told RTÉ Sport.
"It took a while to catch up with me. I think it was just the emotional high of getting that win. I’m feeling a few of those hits and collisions now. A few boys are licking their wounds.
“We’ve done our celebrating. Everybody’s happy as Larry, but it’s time to do the job again. Everybody’s looking forward to the challenge ahead.
"We’re so proud of what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished, and hopefully we can get grounded in time to produce another big performance, to create another bit of history in Irish rugby.
"We all realise how special last weekend was. It gives you an appetite to push on and create another bit of history."
"They’d probably think we were a little bit creepy if they realised just how much video work we’ve done on them!"
Former England and Lions assistant coach Andy Farrell has bolstered the management team with his arrival as defence coach.
While Trimble is braced for a major Springboks backlash, he feels Ireland have more in the locker themselves, and talked up the positive impact Farrell has made on the group.
“You can be sure South Africa are going to improve," he said. "We can expect a backlash from them, but there’s a few things we can work on as well: accuracy in defence, accuracy in chasing.
“Andy Farrell has made a few changes, but even just the mindset he’s managed to put in the squad, the mindset of getting off the line and smashing guys and being enthusiastic about defence and attacking without the ball, it’s a great mindset to have.
“There was a few times we were on the back foot and we just scrambled so hard for each other. That’s a big part of winning Test matches.
“With the amount of homework we’ve done we know every one of them inside out really. They’d probably think we were a little bit creepy if they realised just how much video work we’ve done on them!"
