A lot has changed since the last time Ireland played against South Africa.
When the sides met in Paris during last year's World Cup, it was seen by many as a precursor to a potential rematch in the final, with both sides heavily favoured to go deep into the tournament.
The thriller that played out in the Stade de France would prove to be the high point for Ireland, who exited at the quarter-final stage yet again with defeat to New Zealand. The Springboks, on the other hand, went on to defend their crown and claim their fourth Webb Ellis Cup with victory over the All Blacks.
Since the World Cup, Ireland have seen veterans step away from the international stage. Of course, the most notable of those was the departure of captain Johnny Sexton, with the curtain being drawn on his career in heartbreaking fashion with the dramatic defeat to New Zealand.
Jack Crowley has stepped into Sexton's boots and impressed with his performances en route to the Six Nations crown earlier this year.
As Crowley prepares for his first Southern Hemisphere tour as Ireland's first-choice at 10, Gordon D'Arcy fears that South Africa could seek to target the young Munster fly-half.
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Gordon D'Arcy thinks South Africa could target Jack Crowley in test series
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Took over from Sexton at 6N - strong performances
23 September 2023; Jack Crowley of Ireland kicks a penalty during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match between South Africa and Ireland at Stade de France in Paris, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Writing in his column for the Irish Times, Gordon D'Arcy assessed how South Africa will seek to nullify Ireland's game plan in the opening test in Pretoria this Saturday.
With Jamison Gibson-Park and Mack Hansen both missing this tour, D'Arcy believes the onus of creativity will fall on the relatively inexperienced Crowley. The Leinster and Ireland legend fears that this could make him an easy target for the Springboks.
To date that responsibility has been shouldered more recently by outhalf Jack Crowley.
The Springboks will likely focus in on Crowley as the chief playmaker and try to disrupt him as much as possible. In this type of match Crowley needs to be at his very best, staying above or removed from the physical battle, so that he can keep his pack on the front foot as much as possible and turn the high Springbok defence at the right time with his kick, pass, run options.
If the Springboks manage to contain Crowley, are there others comfortable taking up that responsibility?
Crowley has won only 14 caps for Ireland but the saving grace is that one of those came with a late cameo against South Africa at the World Cup last year.
The 24-year-old came on with seven minutes to go against the Boks with Ireland two points up - and showed his mettle by nailing a penalty with three minutes to go to extend Ireland's lead to the five they would ultimately win by.
Irish fans will hope that that brief outing is a positive omen though it is not hard to see the Springboks choosing to zero in on him in Pretoria on Saturday night.
The first test gets underway at 4pm Irish time on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
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