Ireland will face South Africa in the Rugby World Cup for the first time this weekend, and while the Springboks will provide the sternest of tests in this fixture, we have had success against them in the recent past.
Ireland won their first ever test on South African soil in 2016, but it is probably their win over the same opposition in the Aviva Stadium a year later that is the most memorable. On that occasion, Joe Schmidt's men would secure a record 38-3 win over the visitors, with many feeling they cemented themselves as perhaps the best team in the world with that performance.
Of course, the sides would go in different directions over the couple of years that followed.
While Ireland would win the grand slam the following year, the team quickly declined soon after. By the time the 2019 Rugby World Cup rolled around, it was the South Africans that would lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Knowing what we know now, it is interesting to look back at the team that secured that thumping victory in Dublin back on November 17th, 2017.
Here is what the 23 players in the matchday squad on that day have got up to during the intervening years.
The Ireland team from the record win over South Africa- Where are they now?
Cian Healy
Cian Healy would have featured in Saturday's game were it not for the unfortunate injury he picked up in the warmup game against Samoa, something that ruled him out of the World Cup.
It is likely that we have seen the last of the prop in an Ireland jersey, although he could make a return to Leinster in the months ahead.
Rory Best
Rory Best earned a hugely impressive 124 caps for Ireland, bringing his international and provincial careers to an end in 2019.
Best has since become involved in both coaching and the insurance industry. He has acted as a business development director at The Ardonagh Group since 2021, while he also took up a role as a high performance coach with the USA-based club Seattle Seawolves.
The Ulsterman will be appearing on our screens throughout the World Cup as a pundit on ITV.
Tadhg Furlong
You don't need to look too far to find Tadhg Furlong in 2023, with the Wexford native set to feature in Ireland's front row against the Springboks.
While he was only emerging in 2017, he has now earned 69 caps for Ireland and won a huge amount of honours at both provincial and international level.
Iain Henderson
Henderson has never quite managed to nail down a long-term starting place for Ireland, but he has earned a hugely impressive 76 caps for his country.
A four-time Six Nations winner, he is one of the most experienced players in the current squad.
Devin Toner
A 70-cap Ireland international, Devin Toner hung up his boots for good in 2022, although his last appearance at test level would come two years prior to that.
After retirement, he has moved into the world of financial planning, acting as a head of partnerships for Fairstone Group since September of last year.
Peter O'Mahony
Another player from this game that will feature on Saturday, Peter O'Mahony is arguably in the finest form of his career at the moment.
After helping Munster end their long trophy drought back in May, he will be hoping to have a similar impact with Ireland in France over the coming weeks.
Sean O'Brien
Sean O'Brien's final Ireland appearance came in the Six Nations back in 2019, going on to miss the World Cup that year due to injury. He then joined London Irish after the tournament, where he spent the next three seasons.
The Carlow native retired from professional rugby last year, but he has not stopped playing entirely. He returned to play for local club Tullow at the weekend, starring in an unfamiliar outhalf position. He has also been playing for local GAA side the Fighting Cocks.
O'Brien has also moved into the world of coaching, returning to Leinster to become their contact skills coach.
CJ Stander
Back in 2017, it would have been thought that CJ Stander would still be very much in the mix when it came to Ireland selection. He was among the most consistent players in world rugby at this time and showed little signs of slowing down.
However, he would surprisingly retire from the sport back in 2021 at just 31-years old. He would soon return to his native South Africa, where he entered the construction industry as a project controller with Val de Vie Construction.
He has also appeared frequently as a television pundit in South Africa, as well as a couple of appearances on Irish TV. He will be supporting Andy Farrell's men this weekend.
Conor Murray
Conor Murray is no longer the first choice scrumhalf for Ireland, but he remains an important member of the squad and is likely to play a sizeable role against South Africa on Saturday.
At 34-years old, this is likely to be his final World Cup.
Johnny Sexton
Johnny Sexton is still as good as ever despite turning 38-years old back in July. He will retire from the sport at the end of this tournament, although he will be hoping his career ends on a high.
It remains to be seen what route he goes down after retirement, although there has been some speculation that he will eventually move into coaching.
Jacob Stockdale
The scorer of Ireland's final try in this game, it would have been expected that Jacob Stockdale would go on to star for Ireland for the best part of a decade from that point on. While he could yet have a successful international career, things have not gone to plan since then.
Stockdale has struggled with both injuries and form, with his defensive deficiencies meaning has found playing time difficult to come by under Andy Farrell.
There have been signs that he is slowly getting back to his best in recent times, and at 27-years old, he still has plenty of time to make an impact in green.
Bundee Aki
Bundee Aki would make his Ireland debut in this fixture, and while his selection caused a stir at the time, has gone on to establish himself as a key contributor under both Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell in the years that followed.
The Connacht man is arguably in the best form of his career at the moment.
Robbie Henshaw
Robbie Henshaw has had his injury struggles in recent seasons, but he has still made a huge impact for Ireland. Despite being just 30-years old, he has been in the test squad for a decade.
He is not a guaranteed starter in the side at the moment but it sure to play a huge role for Ireland in France.
Andrew Conway
Andrew Conway is still an excellent player, but his injury struggles have seen him drop out of the Ireland squad in recent times.
He hit his peak in green in 2021 and 2022, starring in wins over Japan and New Zealand that autumn before impressing in the Six Nations the following season. He signed a contract at Munster last year that will keep him at the province until 2025.
Rob Kearney
Rob Kearney had nailed down the fullback position for Ireland for over a decade by the time he retired from test rugby in 2019, going on to finish his career after a spell with Western Force in Australia.
He spent a bit of time playing GAA after his return to Ireland, while the Louth man is also part owner in a number of Dublin bars and restaurants alongside brother Dave, Jamie Heaslip, and Sean O'Brien.
Kearney has worked part-time with investment firm Elkstone since last year, while also frequently appearing as a pundit on Virgin Media.
Substitutes
Rob Herring
Rob Herring has been a steady squad option for Ireland over the last decade, something that has continued in recent times after injuries to Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher.
Born in South Africa, he has very put down in routes in Ireland since moving to Ulster back in 2012.
Dave Kilcoyne
A 52-cap Ireland international, Dave Kilcoyne took on plenty of extra responsibility in this World Cup after the injury to Cian Healy.
He is sure to feature against a powerful South African pack on Saturday evening.
John Ryan
Now 35-years old, John Ryan has had a very unorthodox period in his career over the last few years. Having made his final Ireland appearance back in 2021, the prop would leave Munster to join London Wasps the following year.
After the English club went bust, he would rejoin Munster on a short-term deal at the end of 2022. However, the nature of that contract meant he was on the move once again a few months later, moving to New Zealand to sign for Chiefs.
Strangely enough, he would then return to Munster for a third spell during the summer, signing a deal for the 2023/24 season.
James Ryan
James Ryan's Ireland career was only getting going during this period, with the second row going on to establish himself as one of the most important players in the squad over the last six years.
Now 27-years old, he is the vice-captain of his country and looks likely to take over the captaincy when Johnny Sexton retires later this year.
Rhys Ruddock
Rhys Ruddock was never a first choice option for Ireland, but he was in and out of the squad for the best part of a decade, racking up 27 caps along the way.
He has been a remarkable servant to Leinster during this period. Now 32-years old, he is a fantastic person to have at the province, especially when many of the other experienced players spend large portions of their seasons away on international duty.
He has made over 220 appearances in blue.
Kieran Marmion
Kieran Marmion was a fixture in Ireland squads for quite a few years after making his debut in 2014, acting as the backup scrum-half for a time from 2017-2019. He would fall down the pecking order somewhat from that point, with his last international appearance coming in 2020.
The 31-year old ended an 11-year stint with Connacht earlier this summer, leaving the province after making 230 appearances and being part of their historic Pro 14 win back in 2016.
He will play for Bristol Bears this season, linking up with former Connacht coach Pat Lam.
Joey Carbery
Joey Carbery looked like the natural successor for Johnny Sexton for a number of years, and while he still could have plenty to offer Ireland moving forward, he has dropped away down the pecking order in recent times.
Injuries have been a big factor in that, while the outhalf has also struggled for form after returning to the pitch. The 27-year old has been overtaken by Jack Crowley both at provincial and international level over the last 12 months, but will be hoping to finally get back to his best during the 2023/24 season.
Darren Sweetnam
Darren Sweetnam never quite managed to make the impact that was expected from him in an Ireland jersey, failing to add to the three caps that he earned in 2017 after making his debut in this fixture.
After falling out of the Ireland picture, he would join La Rochelle on a short-term deal in 2021. He would then move to Oyonnax that summer, where he still plies his trade.
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