Ireland v South Africa: Robert Baloucoune returns with Conor Murray set for 100th cap

Baloucoune won the last of his two Ireland caps against Argentina last November

Ireland's Robert Baloucoune will win his third cap against world champions South Africa in Dublin on Saturday.

The Ulster wing, 25, returns to the starting side for the first time in 12 months having last featured against Argentina in November 2021.

Scrum-half Conor Murray will make his 100th international appearance with Jamison Gibson-Park only fit enough for a place on the bench.

Peter O'Mahony is preferred to Jack Conan in the back row.

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Ulster centre Stuart McCloskey is set to be rewarded for a fine start to the season with his first international appearance in over a year having been named among the replacements.

McCloskey's club-mate Baloucoune returns to the senior starting XV following his involvement in last month's Emerging Ireland tour of South Africa.

"I'm a pretty patient guy. When I got injuries it was disappointing but I knew I would be back, and my main point was just to try to get back and be stronger," Baloucoune said.

"I've had quite a few setbacks but I've never really been down about it. I've just been trying to get that stage and just trying to get back to being fit and healthy as soon as possible."

Ireland: Keenan; Baloucoune, Ringrose, Henshaw, Hansen; Sexton (capt), Murray; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Beirne, Ryan; O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Herring, Healy, Bealham, Treadwell, Conan, Gibson-Park, Carbery, McCloskey.

Baloucoune is joined in the back three by Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen, who are among the 12 players to retain their place from Ireland's most recent Test - July's series-clinching win over New Zealand.

Leinster's Gibson-Park has not played since that game meaning Murray is set to become Ireland's eighth Test centurion in what will be his first international start in a year.

The Munster stalwart made his international debut in a World Cup warm-up match against France 11 years ago.

The pack remains unchanged from that historic victory in Wellington, with O'Mahony once again joining Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris in the back row having enjoyed a magnificent series against the All Blacks.

With Ronan Kelleher injured, the all-Leinster trio of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong are tasked with fronting up to what many believe to be the world's best front row.

The Springboks travel to Dublin for the first time since 2017, when they were emphatically beaten 38-3 in a one-sided contest.

However, the current South Africa side are an entirely different proposition, and will hope to deliver a statement win over the world's number one ranked team.

Saturday's contest holds an additional layer of intrigue due to the fact that it is the first meeting between the sides since South Africa's elite club sides joined the Irish provinces in the United Rugby Championship.

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