By Jacques van der Westhuyzen in Dublin
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says Ireland will be tougher to beat at Croke Park on Saturday than the British and Irish Lions were earlier in 2009 when the teams locked horns in a three-match series in South Africa.
De Villiers said the fact the Irish players knew each other so well would make them a far more formidable foe than the Lions - who were made up of players from Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.
"We all know that the Lions who were in South Africa were basically an Irish team. They produced the bulk of the squad but were wearing the Lions jersey instead of the Ireland jersey," said De Villiers on Monday.
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"They're a bloody good side and will be better than the Lions were because they've played together so much more. With the Lions one has to build a team from scratch."
But as big as the challenge is that awaits the Boks, De Villiers rubbished talk on Monday that there was bad blood between the players - many of whom were involved in on-field scuffles during the Lions series.
"Talk of there being bad blood between the teams comes from you guys (Ireland)," said De Villiers. "Most of the reports suggesting such a thing were over-rated. It's not an issue at all. We're here to build bridges. Everyone takes winning and losing differently; some people are able to move on, while others dwell on it. We're here to do a job and that's win a Test match."
De Villiers added that the fact the Lions players were unwilling to share a beer with the Boks after the Tests was something that was in the past.
"We extended a hand to them, and they never accepted it. Maybe the Lions players don't like our beer," he said jokingly.
On a more serious note, the Bok boss added: "This is just another international match for us - it's an important one but we've got a saying in South Africa that goes: You only look back when you want to go in that direction.
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