Ireland Chase Historic Series Win Over South Africa

Ireland can make history on Saturday. A second win in South Africa would give them a series victory over the Springboks' women's side, and no Irish team has ever won back-to-back Test matches on South African soil.

Ireland began the series with a 40-27 win over South Africa last weekend, scoring six tries in the process, according to BBC Sport. A Test is a full international match, and the two-match series is decided on aggregate, so a second win would settle it. The second Test kicks off at 13:00 GMT on Saturday.

Head coach Scott Bemand has made two changes to the starting side. Niamh Gallagher comes in at full-back, the player at the back of the team who fields high balls and covers kicks, in place of Stacey Flood. Aoibheann Reilly is back at scrum-half, the link between the forwards and the backs who passes the ball from the base of the ruck. Emily Lane drops to the bench.

Bemand said Ireland are ready for their "second ascent" in the series. He also said a series win would be historic, and added: "We've got it in us" to finish the year with another winning performance against South Africa. BBC Sport carried his comments.

The challenge is obvious. Ireland have to back up a big performance away from home, and South Africa will be looking to respond after losing the opener. The team's tough test will be keeping their nerve in the closing minutes, when tired legs and tight scores tend to decide things.

For the wider squad, Erin King leads a 30-player travelling party to South Africa, which was named earlier this autumn. Reserves are a useful part of any tour, and Ireland have leaned on their bench this series for extra power up front in the forwards.

Rugby's women's game has been building its profile for years, and matches like this one show why. Test series in the southern hemisphere are long trips with plenty of travel and little room for error. Ireland now have the chance to finish the tour with a result that stands out in their record books.