It may be the final game of a 13-month season, but for Garry Ringrose there's no sense that Ireland’s tank is running dry.
The centre hasn’t logged the same minutes as some of his team-mates over the last year and a bit, mainly due to the shoulder injury which kept him sidelined for the bulk of the last six months.
He picked up the knock in Leinster's final pool game of the Investec Champions Cup against the Leicester Tigers at the end of January, and didn’t return until a substitute appearance in the last round of the Six Nations.
It was a premature dawn, and he continued to be bothered by the injury for the next few months, before finally getting back on the field with Leinster in their BKT URC semi-final defeat to the Bulls in Pretoria.
Ringrose was back at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, named on the bench for Ireland’s first Test against the Springboks, and while Andy Farrell’s side were beaten 27-20, the Leinster co-captain was one of the better performers in green on the day, with his half time introduction putting some heat into a cold Irish defence.
The 29-year-old (below) says he’s been like a coiled spring waiting to get back into the thick of the action.
"I think even when coming back, you have no excuses [not to perform]," he said.
"If you get a couple of weeks running at training, it shouldn't be an excuse not to be match fit.
"It's been great – two losses, so I can't say they've been good experiences at the end of the day, but it's always a privilege to get back playing and appreciate how lucky an opportunity it is to get."
While Ireland are down after last Saturday’s first Test, Ringrose insists they’re by no means out as they look to finish the season in style in Durban on Saturday.
"What I remember Andy [Farrell] said, for I can't remember which game, but 'the biggest game in Irish rugby's history is always the next one'.
"With how competitive the group is, how special an opportunity it would be to represent the country, it couldn't be more true. Given it's the last week of the season, maybe that's true too.
"Any opportunity that any of us get to play for Ireland, it's never taken for granted. It motivates you to work hard, prepare and challenge the process of being as ready as we can to ultimately let go and attack the game at the weekend.
"I wouldn't, certainly from my perspective, think back on a long season or get too cut up on that, it's just the week that's in it to give it everything."
Ringrose replaces Bundee Aki as one of four changes to the side for Saturday’s rematch at King’s Park, where he and Robbie Henshaw will line out opposite Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel in midfield.
The South African pair start for the 30th time together, making them the most experienced centre pairing in Springboks’ history.
"They've great cohesion when they play together.
"Damian's an unbelievably good ball player, he can pass off both hands, kicking ability, attacking kicks, and that's before mentioning his ability to carry.
"Then you have Jesse Kriel, who on defence gets through a crazy amount of work and chases every chance, every scrap, and he's a cornerstone of their defence.
"Even on [Cheslin] Kolbe's try you can see he [Kriel] is chasing up the inside as well. It wasn't just a once-off or moment from Kolbe. It was him chasing the chance too.
"Then on attack, his pace and ability to take on the line is tough to deal with. We'll have our work cut out this week," Ringrose added.
Ireland head coach Farrell was unhappy with how some of his players failed to react to Kolbe chasing down Handre Pollard’s kick to touch in the lead-up to that second South Africa try on Saturday, as Kolbe pounced on James Lowe’s mistake to score.
And Ringrose says it’s come as a stark reminder of the what’s expected an international level.
"Taking a step back from all of it, it's a lesson for young and old, everyone, that he's obviously unbelievably talented, but that's a zero-talent moment from him.
"It doesn't require skill, it requires work rate which he has in abundance, and he creates the opportunity for himself. Definitely, anyone can take a lesson from that.
"There's areas of their game we'll try to level-up and try and do the same thing. The positives, I guess, is having an opportunity to go again and knowing that we can be better and the challenges will be to improve on what they improve on," he added.
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