The frequent visits now to these islands from the major powers in the Southern Hemisphere is just one of the many recent changes that the game has undergone. It would have been unthinkable in the not so long ago - when we saw those countries every decade or so - that the Springboks, All Blacks and Wallabies would be touring in Europe at the same time.
Nothing underlines the new order that obtains and the radical alteration the touring scene has undergone more graphically than the international fixture list this weekend. All three Tri-Nations teams are playing in Europe: New Zealand against France, Australia against England and, what to us is the most important match of all, Ireland against the Springboks.
In addition, Wales play the US in Cardiff and Scotland take on Samoa. That fixture schedule would rival a World Cup weekend. Allied to all that, the Japanese have just left us and Argentina will be in Britain shortly.
But this new familiarity has not bred contempt, for matches against those nations still generate immense interest and expectation, even if the Six Nations Championship still is rated the jewel in the crown in this part of the world.
The match with South Africa comes after nearly a fortnight of international activity in the Irish context, coming as it does after the Ireland under-25s against Japan, Ireland against Japan and Ireland A against South Africa. The record for Ireland is played three, won three. Four wins from four matches is now the incentive. The match against Japan last Saturday did not represent a test of any consequence, and, after the opening phase, the only issue at stake was what the margin of Ireland's victory would be. Still, it was a useful training exercise for what is certain to be a stern test against the Springboks.
In the historical context, the 78 points scored by Ireland against Japan is the highest recorded by Ireland in an international at Lansdowne Road; the 11 tries scored is also a record, and Ronan O'Gara created a record with 11 successful kicks at goal, 10 conversions and a penalty. The 10 conversions equalled Eric Elwood's feat against Georgia in the World Cup qualifying round in 1998.
The Springboks come here with a new coach and against the background of having finished bottom of the TriNations Championship table, and having beaten Argentina by just four points last weekend. Yet that record can be misleading. For instance, in the TriNations campaign, South Africa started by losing 25-22 away to New Zealand and then lost comprehensively, 26-6, to Australia in Sydney. Those results left them doing a damage limitation exercise.
They beat New Zealand in Johannesburg, and then, in the final match, lost 19-18 to Australia, who won with an injury-time penalty goal. South Africa played Australia in an extra match in Melbourne and lost that 44-23. Thereafter saw the departure of coach Nick Mallett.
BUT THE match on Sunday will, nonetheless, give a realistic assessment of where Ireland stands in the world rankings. There is a huge incentive for Ireland to beat South Africa for what would be only the second time since the countries first met in 1906. That win was achieved in 1965 in Dublin.
Few who will be at Lansdowne Road will have seen Ireland beat South Africa on April 10th, 1965. Ireland had lost a Triple Crown decider against Wales a month earlier and fielded a team that showed just two changes from that side. Ken Houston replaced David Hewitt on the right wing and Ronnie Lamont was at number eight for Henry Wall.
The match was played in difficult conditions of wind and showers. It was 3-3 at the break, with a try for Ireland from Pat McGrath to a penalty goal. It was 6-6 as the game entered its final minutes after South Africa scored a try and Tom Kiernan kicked a penalty. Then, with five minutes to go, Kiernan kicked a great penalty to win the match. As the ball was en route to the posts it seemed as if it was not going to get over the bar. But over it went, to the delight of the crowd.
A remarkable aspect of that match was that it was only the second time that a European team had beaten South Africa. And one had to go back 59 years to find the only other Springboks defeat. That was 1906, when Scotland won 6-3 in Edinburgh.
In fact it was not until June of last year that Wales beat South Africa for the first time, in a match to mark the opening of the Millennium Stadium. One other feature of that 1965 tour was that the Combined Irish Universities had beaten the tourists at Thomond Park on the Tuesday before the international. The Universities thus became the first Ireland team to beat the Springboks. The Combined Provinces drew with the tourists at Ravenhill.
Ireland also drew with South Africa 8-8 at Lansdowne Road in 1970, in a match that caused major controversy and protest marches prior to the game at the presence of the visitors, whose isolation from world rugby would last a decade from the early 1980s to the early 1990s.
The Ireland team that recorded that famous win 35 years ago was: Tom Kiernan; Ken Houston, Kevin Flynn, Jerry Walsh, Pat McGrath; Mike Gibson, Roger Young; Sean McHale, Ken Kennedy, Ray McLoughlin (capt), Willie John McBride, Bill Mulcahy, Mick Doyle, Ronnie Lamont, Noel Murphy. Let us hope that, on Sunday, the current generation will equal the achievement of that famous team.
