Rassie Erasmus will be at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on 5 November for the Springboks’ first match of their end-of-year tour against Ireland.

SA’s director of rugby has been unable to attend Bok Tests since being punished by World Rugby for his video criticising the performance of referee Nic Berry during the first Test of last year’s Lions series.

Erasmus was banned from all rugby-related activities for two months and any match-day activity at all levels of the game until 30 September 2022.

Erasmus has therefore been allowed to attend team training sessions this year, but had to watch most of the matches from his hotel room (he watched two as a guest at Val de Vie luxury estate outside Paarl).

He was also not allowed to attend Bok press conferences, with Bok head coach Jacques Nienaber and his assistants facing the media.

Erasmus will make his return to stadiums on 5 November – his 50th birthday – when the Boks take on No 1-ranked Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. He will also attend their tour matches against France, Italy and England.

“It will be a relief for Rassie to attend matches again and resume his specific functions with the team,” his lawyer, Frikkie Erasmus, told Rapport newspaper.

“He and Jacques have a unique working relationship, with defined functions. Rassie’s absence put additional pressure on Jacques and harmed the team as well.

“Rassie has a significant impact on the mood and motivation of the players. He and Jacques complement each other excellently in terms of the technical, as well as the emotional aspects.

“This partnership has been seriously damaged during Rassie’s absence and will get a big boost when he returns to the stadium during Tests.”