Jamie Heaslip has warned Ireland they are facing into a "daunting" Ellis Park mission this Saturday as a fired-up South Africa hunt revenge.
The Leinster back-row was central to an epic Cape Town triumph, as the tourists overcame the sending-off of CJ Stander to plunder a marvellous win.
Heaslip is braced for a hugely physical contest this weekend, and stressed the importance of maintaining focus in what will be a Johannesburg cauldron.
"There's a lot of positives that we want to keep going and keep that momentum, but this is going to be an absolutely huge challenge. It's going to be daunting," he told RTÉ Sport.
"I said to the guys after the game, 'whatever's been said- be it good or bad - don't let people blow smoke up our ass', because you only have to go back to World Cup where South Africa lost against Japan and they came out absolutely firing. That's what's coming down the track now.
"That's what we've got to be ready for and that's what our mindset has got to be like."
Rhys Ruddock echoed his provincial team-mate's sentiments as he called for cool Irish heads.
CJ Stander was red-carded in Cape Town and is suspended for the second Test, and the flanker warned Ireland can't afford any lapses.
"We’re always big on our discipline," Ruddock said.
"Potentially they're going to look to scrum if they're deep inside your 22, they're going to look to kick to the corners and maul you in the lineout so we know how important discipline is.
"South African teams in general are renowned for their physicality, especially in the pack.
"At times they certainly got on top in areas. We managed to cope for the majority of the time but we know they'll probably resort to type and go to that and look to get some rewards at scrum time, at lineout time.
"They’re not going to look too far away from where they’ve gone before."
Coach Joe Schmidt said he's never felt prouder of his team in the wake of the gutsy victory. With morale in the camp soaring, Ruddock now has his eyes on an even better display.
"There’s been a really good buzz around the whole tour," he stressed.
“The message [after the first Test]... was to first see the areas where we can improve. In many ways it was difficult because we were short a man – or short two men at times.
"Defensively we had to adjust and I suppose go a little bit off the cuff at times. I thought the guys on the field handled the situations they were in really well so there’s still a lot of room for improvement, but there were a lot of positives to take from the game as well."
