When Ireland face South Africa at the Rugby World Cup this weekend, there will be quite a few individuals with strong Irish links in the Springboks camp.
Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber are fondly remembered for their time in Munster, while former Ireland fullback Felix Jones is also part of their coaching staff. When it comes to players, RG Sneyman and Jean Kleyn both currently play their club rugby at Thomond Park.
Of course, Kleyn has also represented Ireland at international before he made the switch back to South Africa earlier this year.
He is not the only South African-born star to wear the green jersey down through the years.
South African-born Ireland internationals
CJ Stander
CJ Stander represented South Africa at U18 and U20 level when coming through as a young player, going on to be called up to the nation's training squad for the 2012 Rugby Championship. However, he did not make the final panel for the tournament, with the coaching team reportedly having concerns about his size.
He would move to Munster soon after, going on to debut for Ireland in 2016 after qualifying via the residency rule. He would go on to 51 caps for his adopted nation, being a key cog in the 2018 Grand Slam winning side and being named Ireland's player of the year at the end of the 2015/16 season. He also toured with the Lions in 2017.
Stander could well have won far more caps for Ireland had he not surprisingly retired from professional rugby at the age of 31.
While he is now back living in South Africa, he has already said he will be supporting Ireland when the two sides meet this weekend.
Quinn Roux
Quinn Roux is another player that qualified to play for Ireland through the residency rule, being called up to the squad in 2016 after spending time at both Leinster and Connacht. In fact, he would make his debut against South Africa during the tour to the country that summer.
The second row would win 16 caps for Ireland over the following four years, although he was not part of the squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
His chances of any further call-ups were ended when he joined Toulon in 2021, with Roux now playing with Bath after spending one season in France.
Rob Herring
Unlike Stander and Roux, Rob Herring did not depend on the residency rule to play for Ireland. While he was born and raised in Cape Town, he qualifies for the nation through his Irish grandparents.
After spending some time with London Irish before returning to South Africa, he would eventually sign for Ulster in 2012. He was capped by Emerging Ireland the following year, before making his Ireland debut in 2014.
Herring has never been first choice for Ireland, but he has been a valuable squad member for almost a decade now and scored a try in the win over England that sealed the Grand Slam earlier this year. He has also shown good form in this year's Rugby World Cup, scoring tries in the wins over Romania and Tonga to start the tournament.
Jean Kleyn
Jean Kleyn is unique in this list, in that he has represented both Ireland and South Africa at test level.
The big second row was a surprise inclusion in Ireland's World Cup squad in 2019, being drafted in for the tournament in Japan, making his debut for the nation in a warmup game against Italy just two days after qualifying via the residency rule.
The Munster man would earn only five caps in the years that followed (the last of which came in 2020), although there were suggestions he could be in line for a recall given his performances at provincial level last season. However, he was surprisingly called up by South Africa after they made the most of the recent change in World Rugby's eligibility rules.
He made his debut for his nation of birth earlier this summer and could well feature when the two sides meet this weekend.
Richardt Strauss
Richardt Strauss had a long and successful career at Leinster after joining in 2009, spending nine years at the province and winning a number of honours.
His career with Ireland was not quite as fruitful, although he would win 17 caps for the country after making his debut in 2012 a matter of weeks after becoming eligible under the residency rules. He would be included in the squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup and became an official Irish resident that same year.
He would make his final Ireland appearance in 2016, retiring from rugby two years later.
Robbie Diack
Robbie Diack earned fewer caps than any other player on this list, making only two Ireland appearances. He made his debut during the 2014 summer tour to Argentina.
The backrow joined Ulster in 2008, going on to spend a decade with the province. In 2017, he would become the first player born outside of Ulster to make 200 appearances for them at senior level.
While Diack would make an appearance for the Irish Wolfhounds in 2015, he would not earn another test cap outside of the pair he picked up the previous year.
Dion O'Cuinneagain
Dion O'Cuinneagain does not have the name you would expect someone born in Cape Town to possess, but he was born in the South African city to a father hailing from Dublin.
Having lined out for Western Province for a number of seasons, he would join Sale Sharks in 1997 before moving to Ulster two years later.
He actually made his Ireland debut in 1998 at a time when players based abroad were still part of Irish squads, going on to earn 19 caps over the next two seasons. In fact, he captained the team at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
O'Cuinneagain had previously represented South Africa on the international stage, having a spell with their sevens side in the mid-90s. He returned to the country after retiring from rugby, going on to work as a doctor in Cape Town and coaching the nation's sevens team.
SEE ALSO: South Africa Forced Into Ireland Jersey Change Due To Baffling Pre-Tournament Decision
