O'Gara axed for the first time in five years
They axed flyhalf Ronan O'Gara for the first time in five years and selected their exciting new pivot, Jonathan Sexton, in his place.
Sexton made his Test debut last Saturday when he stood in for O'Gara, who was rested against Fiji. Sexton, who was outstanding for his club, Leinster, in their European Cup triumph this year, made a brilliant start to Test rugby by kicking seven goals out of seven, two of them conversions from the touchline.
Irish coach Declan Kidney did not say if O'Gara's 15 minutes of hell against the Springboks in the second British & Irish Lions Test had been the reason for his exclusion, but it must have played a part.
O'Gara came on as a substitute at Loftus Versfeld and was first run over by Jaque Fourie for the try that brought the Boks back on level terms. He then fouled scrumhalf Fourie du Preez in mid-air in injury time when chasing his own kick, setting the stage for Morne Steyn to kick the series-winning penalty.
The Boks would undoubtedly liked to have got into O'Gara's head by reminding him of those howlers, and they now might have to wait until deep in the second half to get that chance. Kidney also named Lions flank Stephen Ferris in the starting line-up, despite an ankle injury. Loose forward reserve Dennis Leamy is also struggling with an ankle strain.
Meanwhile, Du Preez admitted that there was some ill-feeling towards certain Irish players in the wake of the Lions series earlier this year.
That series was filled with niggles, and, despite Bok coach Peter de Villiers trying to play down the bad blood between the teams, Du Preez was more forthright.
"If we're really honest, there will be an extra edge going into the game on Saturday," Du Preez said. "Especially as the Lions, who had many Irish players, still feel like they should have won the series.
"We don't see it that way and as far as we're concerned, the Lions series is over. Fortunately for us, it will stay that way for the next 12 years.
"There will definitely be something extra on the field on Saturday - but regardless of the outcome, South Africa has had a brilliant year and nothing can change that. It's probably the best year in Springbok history and I believe that it doesn't depend on whether we win or lose to be the best team in the world."
In a juicy subplot, Du Preez and Ireland centre Brian O'Driscoll are joint favourites to win the International Rugby Board World Player of the Year award, which will be announced after the game.
Du Preez should be a shoo-in for the accolade, but there is a strong lobby in the northern hemisphere to see O'Driscoll awarded the prize.
Du Preez has been nursing a hand injury sustained against Italy last Saturday, but he believes he will be ready to play on Saturday after a light training session yesterday. The Springboks will name their team tomorrow.
Ireland: Rob Kearney, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll (captain), Paddy Wallace, Keith Earls, Jonathan Sexton, Tomas O'Leary, Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace, Stephen Ferris, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, John Hayes, Jerry Flannery, Cian Healy.
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Tony Buckley, Leo Cullen, Denis Leamy, Peter Stringer, Ronan O'Gara, Gordon D'Arcy.
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