While Andy Farrell's side may have come up short at this year's Rugby World Cup, we will still see one Ireland international line out in the final of the tournament this weekend. Jean Kleyn's time in green was a relatively short one, being drafted in for the 2019 World Cup and going on to earn five caps during this period.
However, he was not part of the squad after Joe Schmidt's departure.
There were some suggestions that his form for Munster in 2023 could result in an Ireland recall, although the player would instead be handed a call-up by South Africa. He was eligible to play for the country of his birth under World Rugby eligibility rules due to it being over three years since his last Irish appearance.
Now, he is preparing for a World Cup final.
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Jean Kleyn surprised by Irish reaction to his South Africa switch
It was expected that Jean Kleyn would not play much for South Africa in this tournament, with the player going on to make two appearances in France, both of which came in the pool stages.
Despite this, he said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time in the camp. As well as that, he also admitted that he was surprised to see his Spingboks switch receive a largely positive response in the Irish media.
I thought there would be quite a negative reaction when I played for the Springboks from, I suppose, my history with the Irish media.
I figured there would be a few negative articles, but it was really positive, and I was really happy about that. It's made it a lot easier for me...
It's a strange one because if you asked me six months ago if I had at all thought that I had any chance of being here at a World Cup final and playing for the Springboks, I would have told you, "You're absolutely insane".
It's been a fantastic journey for me. It's been brilliant to have been part of the squad. To be honest it's one of the best groups of players that I've ever had the pleasure of playing with, working with and knowing.
There was an acceptance among Ireland fans that Jean Kleyn was unlikely to be part of Andy Farrell's squad moving forward, something that likely led to the relative indifference in the reaction to his switch to South Africa.
Munster fans will no doubt be cheering on both him and RG Snyman on this weekend.
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