While any southern hemisphere rugby tour is likely to be a fantastic occasion, you get the sense that there will be an added bit of spice between the sides when Ireland travel to South Africa for two games this summer.
Those two sides are widely considered to be the best in world rugby over the last couple of years, something that has led to a natural rivalry between the pair. They have played each other twice over the last two years, with the Irish emerging victorious on both occasions.
The most recent of those meetings came at last year's World Cup. Ireland would win the pool fixture between the sides, but it was the South Africans that went on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
The Springboks will no doubt be keen to put down a marker during this summer's tour, with their last win over Ireland coming all the way back in 2016. They are certainly talking a big game ahead of the rugby fixtures in Pretoria and Durban.
READ HERE: Simon Zebo Suggests His Ireland Career May Have Come In The Wrong Era
Rugby: Springbok Star ask if Farrell's Englishness is a hindrance for Ireland
Damian de Allende knows Irish rugby better than most of the players in the South Africa squad, having spent two seasons at Munster from 2020-2022.
His time at the province did not go as well as expected, with the centre being hailed as a landmark signing at the time only to have an underwhelming spell at Thomond Park before leaving for Japan.
He has already spoken about the need for South Africa to get revenge after the 'disrespect' they were treated with in the aftermath of their heavy loss to Ireland in 2017, going on to take a couple more shots at this Ireland group.
Speaking to Rugby Pass, he would make the rather odd observation that the fact that Andy Farrell is not Irish could be having an impact on the team. He would also question the background of the Irish players, many of whom come from more privileged situations than their South African counterparts.
We get the emotional driver. It’s hard to say. Andy Farrell is English so I don’t know if he knows much about Ireland, their history and what has happened in the past.
Because Rassie is South African and he loves South Africa so much – he’s played for the Springboks – he knows how to make us tick as South Africans and he knows how to make South Africa tick.
The Irish don’t strike me as people that are emotional, I think South Africans are very emotional because a lot of us have tough pasts.
I’m not saying Irish guys don’t have tough pasts but there’s a lot of us that came up from absolutely nothing and a lot of us appreciate that so much and appreciate what we had now. But there will always be that emotional drive that pushes us over the line or gets us going.
We always think back to what we didn’t have, and what we have now.
The claim that Andy Farrell not being an Irish could be impacting the team is a very strange one, especially when you consider everything they have achieved during his tenure. It certainly would not be something that the supporters would agree with.
The conversation around the demographics that make up the Ireland rugby team is one that has been ongoing in this country for a number of years. There is no doubt that a huge number of the players come from private school backgrounds, but once again, it's not clear how that would impact anything that happens on the pitch.
As is so often the case when it comes to South Africa and their rugby team, there seems to be more than just a hint of an attempt at mind games at play here.
SEE ALSO: South Africa Star Keen To Get Revenge This Summer After Irish Media 'Disrespect'
