Ireland v South Africa kick-off time, TV and stream information, team news and betting odds
Ireland and South Africa clash in a massive Rugby World Cup showdown this weekend.
Andy Farrell's men comprehensively defeated Romania and Tonga in their opening two games in the tournament, but this is a massive step up on those two matches against the defending World Cup champions.
The Springboks beat Scotland 18-3 in their first game of the competition before hammering Romania 76-0 last weekend.
Much has been made about South Africa's 7-1 bench split of forwards and backs, but Ireland head coach Farrell says that "doesn’t really bother me at all".
Here's everything you need to know about the clash:
Date
Saturday, September 23.
Time
8pm Irish time, which is 9pm local time.
Venue
Stade de France in Paris.
TV channel information
RTE Two will show the match live in the Republic of Ireland, while ITV will broadcast it in the UK.
Stream information
Viewers in Ireland can stream the match via the RTE Player, while those in the UK can watch it om the ITV Player.
Ireland team
H Keenan (Leinster); M Hansen (Connacht), G Ringrose (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Sexton (Leinster, capt), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), R Kelleher (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), J Ryan (Leinster), P O’Mahony (Munster), J Van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: D Sheehan (Leinster), D Kilcoyne (Munster), F Bealham (Connacht), I Henderson (Ulster), R Baird (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster).
South Africa team
D Willemse (DHL Stormers); K Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), J Kriel (Canon Eagles), D de Allende (Wild Knights), C Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath); M Libbok (DHL Stormers), F de Klerk (Canon Eagles); J Wiese (Leicester), P du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), S Kolisi (Racing 92, capt), F Mostert (Honda Heat), E Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), F Malherbe (DHL Stormers), B Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), S Kitshoff (Ulster).
Replacements: D Fourie (DHL Stormers), O Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), T Nyakane (Racing 92), J Kleyn (Munster), RG Snyman (Munster), M van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), K Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), C Reinach (Montpellier).
Quotes corner
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: “It’s just about us.
“We have to be good, we have to play really well to beat the world champions.
“And rightly so because they’re in good form and, barring us and our team, our management and the Irish people all over the world, I think everyone else thinks that they’re the favourites and they’re going to win this game.
“I can see why because of the form that they’ve showed in the last couple of games but we don’t think like that. We’re ready for a tough battle and it will take it’s own course, I’m sure.
“It’s not a must-win. It’s not a do-or-die type of game but it’s pretty important to both teams, let’s put it that way.”
Ireland centre Bundee Aki: “It’s a huge occasion.
“But I’ll try not to treat it as a big occasion, just try to treat it as a game and do the things I do every week.
“Obviously, we’re going up against the world champions. For myself and my family, it’s a huge honour to be able to pull on the jersey 50 times.
“Every time you pull on that jersey, you try to play as best you can and put your best foot forward.”
Ireland's Garry Ringrose: “They pride themselves on their defence and they’re a really well-organised defensive team.
“Maybe from the outside it looks chaotic but you can see they’re all on the same page.
“They have players who can make a massive impact defensively, so that will put our attack under huge stress no doubt.
“Attack-wise, they have some of the most dangerous individuals in world rugby on top, top form, so when we don’t have the ball, there’s no room for switching off concentration-wise or we will concede.
“That’s not even to mention the physical challenge, so it’s a concoction of everything really.”
Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber: “Ireland are a quality team with a strong pack of forwards and talented backs and they play with a lot of speed, so we know what we have to do to deliver a top-drawer performance for things to go our way.
“We’re fortunate to have a match-fit squad and have been building depth and versatility for a while and believe this is the best combination for this match.
“We know it’s going to be a grind of a match and we know we need to pitch up physically and mentally. We also need to start with intensity and stay focused until the final whistle.
“This is a massive game for both sides with an eye to progressing out of our pool, so we need to be extremely accurate in all areas of our game.”
