Ireland coach Declan Kidney has made six changes to the team that ran out 41-6 winners against Fiji last weekend, but has retained rookie flyhalf Jonny Sexton, for Saturday's mammoth clash with the Springboks.

Kidney has made three changes in the backline of the Six Nations champions with Tommy Bowe returning to the team on the right wing in place of Shane Horgan.

Paddy Wallace moves from the bench to start at inside centre with Gordon D'Arcy named in the replacements while Tomas O'Leary is selected in the starting team at scrumhalf.

Sexton, who scored 16 points last weekend on his flawless debut, has retained his place at flyhalf in the team announced on Tuesday at the expense of Ronan O'Gara.

O'Gara, who of course had a shocker of a match on as a replacement for the British and Irish Lions in the second test against South Africa earlier this year, drops to the bench.

Leinster star Sexton has been in fine form so far this season for his province but is still a surprise choice ahead of the experienced O'Gara. The 24 year-old will no doubt come under great pressure from the Springboks at Croke Park but, as he showed in the Heineken Cup final last season, he certainly has the ability to perform on the big stage.

The forwards have also seen three changes with Cian Healy starting at loosehead after recovering from his shoulder injury and Tony Buckley is retained in the replacements.

Donncha O'Callaghan also returns to the side in the second row with Leo Cullen moving to the replacements.

David Wallace, who was not involved in the match 22 against Fiji, is selected at openside.

World champions South Africa on Monday put off naming the team to play Ireland in Dublin because of an injury crisis which forced them to cancel training.

The Springboks - who grabbed their first win of the northern hemisphere tour on Saturday against Italy - had intended to name their team on Tuesday but have delayed it till Thursday.

The 'Boks - who have lost to France, and English Premiership sides Leicester and Saracens - have eight players injured including six that played in the defeat to France.

Fullback Zane Kirchner (knee), centre Adi Jacobs (ankle), scrum-half Fourie du Preez (hand), lock Bakkies Botha (back), hooker Bismarck du Plessis (ribs) and backrow forward Schalk Burger (ribs) are the six injured players to have started the 20-13 reverse against France in Toulouse on November 13.

Aside from them replacement hooker Adriaan Strauss has a back injury and prop CJ van der Linde is suffering from a groin injury.

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (captain), 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Jerry Flannery, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Leo Cullen, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Gordon D'Arcy

Date: Saturday, November 28
Venue: Croke Park
Time: 14:30 (14:30 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Chris White (England), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
TMO: Hugh Watkins (Wales)