Jonathan Sexton has been the key playmaker from No 10 for Ireland in recent years.
But the South Africa tour will go on without him as injuries to him and three others meant Joe Schmidt had to call in replacements.
Ulster's Paddy Jackson and an Ian Madigan, who had initially been left out of the touring squad as he prepares for a move to France, will take on out-half duties against the Springboks.
Gavin Cummiskey of The Irish Times joined Off The Ball tonight to speak about the impact of the squad changes including the calling-up of impressive Connacht pair Tiernan O'Halloran and Matt Healy.
"If Paddy Jackson, whose had a very good season - not a wonderful season - just a very good one, is not kicking his points in the first test, he's going to get pulled off," he said.
"The only hope we have of winning a test now is still the first test, there's still a chance. If Jackson is not 90% or eight out of eight or eight out of nine, we don't win that game. So if he starts missing kicks, he gets pulled off and you can be damn sure Madigan starts the second test. We know what he can get to. We know he's a better place-kicker.
"So it looks like clearly from the initial selection that Ian Madigan's been cast into the wilderness because he's heading to Bordeaux even though he didn't really have too much of an option at the time when the contract was being signed."
Cummiskey added that in future to forget about the likes of foreign-based talent like Madigan and Northampton and ex-Munster out-half JJ Hanrahan would be a "grave error on the part of Irish rugby".
"If you thrown Ian Madigan out because he's gone to Bordeaux, I think we'll pay for it."
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