With the Six Nations regulars, four games against New Zealand and even a couple versus Japan, there's been a familiarity to the opposition Ireland have faced in this World Cup cycle.
Thankfully, the next three weeks will provide some alternative opposition for Andy Farrell's side, as South Africa, Fiji and Australia come to town for the Bank of Ireland Nations Series, and a chance to test their game against different styles.
It's no secret that South Africa have what Liam Neeson would describe as "a very particular set of skills", with a physicality and set-piece that Ireland haven't had a chance to pit themselves against in this World Cup cycle.
The closest comparison, Andy Farrell says would be the Six Nations meeting with France earlier this year, where in spite of Ireland running them close, Les Bleus proved far too powerful over the course of the 80 minutes.
"They play a good territory-type, strangling game," Farrell said, when asked about the Springbok point of difference earlier this week.
"That didn't work out too well for us in the end [v France], so we have to show progression from that."
In the five years since the sides last met, both have gone through remarkable transitions. Ireland's 38-3 win against the Boks in November 2017 kickstarted their run towards a record-breaking 2018, and while the wheels fell off the bandwagon in 2019 Ireland have rebuilt themselves to the point where they enter this international block as the world's number one side.
For the Springboks, the 2017 defeat was the point of bottoming-out before their swift turnaround to become world champions just under two years later. They looked in freefall as they waited for Rassie Erasmus to arrive as their new director of rugby, and a further defeat to Wales at the end of November saw head coach Alastair Coetzee sacked as head coach. Erasmus's directorship ended quickly as he was installed to the coaching role in March 2018, before they rallied to their second world title just over 18 months later.
It's hard to see a similar margin of victory for either side next Saturday, with Ireland coming off the back of a strong 2021/22 season, and although South Africa were inconsistent during the recent Rugby Championship, under the coaching of Erasmus and now Jacques Nienaber they're a side who rarely win or lose by massive margins.
Injuries have handed Farrell the silver-lined opportunity of seeing how some inexperienced players are likely to handle the Boks. With Andrew Conway, James Lowe, Keith Earls and Jordan Larmour all sidelined, his selections at 11 and 14 look to have the most uncertainty around them over the coming weeks.
The leading candidates for those jerseys against South Africa would likely be Mack Hansen and Robert Baloucoune, with Hansen having been next man up for Ireland during both the Six Nations and summer tour of New Zealand.
Hugo Keenan looks set to be fit to face the Boks, but with the full-back having not played yet this season, it would be unlikely to see him start all three games of the international window, opening the door for Mike Lowry to further his claim as the next best option at 15.
The game against Fiji, as well as the Ireland A match versus an All Blacks XV on Friday 4 November, allow Farrell the opportunity to test his wider squad against quality opposition, which he says will be a step up in class from their tour games with the Maori All Blacks in the summer.
"We created opportunities there in New Zealand with the Maori game, but what does that stand for, that type of experience, if you don't back it up?
"We have to find ways of backing it up, and the A game is a fantastic opportunity to show people they're able to perform at this level, because that will be a massive step up from the Maori games."
And while the challenge for the players is obvious, Farrell is also hoping to see how his coaching team react when stretched to the limit, with the A game falling less than 24 hours before the Test with South Africa.
"It's what we want. It’s what I craved to happen because I want to keep finding out about ourselves, who can deal with the pressure and who can’t, and I’m talking about management as much as the player group. I like things to be a little bit different," he added.
The interesting side narrative - and there always seems to be a side narrative when it comes to Rassie Erasmus - is the familiarity the South African coaching team have with the Irish players.
Erasmus and Nienaber have their Munster connections, as does former Ireland international Felix Jones who has been an assistant coach with South Africa since leaving Munster in the summer of 2019.
Damian de Allende is only fresh out of his two-year stint with the province, and it's also curious to see Leinster's Jason Jenkins included after impressing in his first block of games this season.
The 27-year-old earned his one and only cap for the Boks in 2018, and while it would be a surprise to see him force his way into the 23 for next week's game at the Aviva, he'll be able to bring an extensive local knowledge to the South African camp.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the World Cup, as the days tick down until they meet in Paris next September.
Whatever the result on Saturday, it will be fascinating to see how Ireland match up.
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