"This is the team we believe will give us the impetus we need against Ireland, who are the second-highest ranked team in the world," said Erasmus, who has opted for a 6-2 split on the bench.

"We are blessed to have a lot of depth in our squad, and we are in a fortunate position to have several Rugby World Cup-winners in our ranks who know what it takes to perform at the highest level.

"The fact that most of these guys have played together is a bonus for us, and most of them have faced Ireland before so they are well aware of the challenge that lies ahead, especially since we havent beaten them since 2016."

Ireland have never won a Test series in South Africa but were the only team to defeat the Springboks during the World Cup in a thrilling 13-8 win the pool stages in Paris.

Andy Farrell will announce his team for the opening match on Thursday.

South Africa: W le Roux; C Kolbe; J Kriel, D de Allende; KL Arendse; H Pollard; F de Klerk; O Nche, B Mbonambi, F Malherbe; E Etzebeth, F Mostert; S Kolisi (capt), PS du Toit, K Smith.

Replacements: M Marx, G Steenekamp, V Koch, S Moerat, RG Snyman, M van Staden, G Williams, S Feinberg-Mngomezulu.