There's a distinct sense that the Springboks will be tested thoroughly by a Scotland team that is becoming increasingly authoritative under Gregor Townsend.
Indeed, it's perhaps reassuring that the South Africans are adopting a very cautious outlook on Saturday's Test at Murrayfield because, as the last five fixtures at the hallowed venue prove, the Scots have been a tough assignment even when they've not been rated as highly as now.
Sport24 looks back on the Boks' difficulties in this fixture previously.
2008: Scotland 10 Springboks 14
Head coach Peter de Villiers and his troops weren't exactly surprised by the spirit that the Scots showed in this encounter.
The hosts went into the game desperate for a victory because it would've ensured them a top-8 seeding for the 2011 Rugby World Cup that was played in New Zealand.
Scotland dominated the first half to run into the tunnel 10-0 to the good.
Ironically, it should've been more after flyhalf Dan Parks - who twice had to come on as a blood replacement for starting option Phil Godman - missed two easy kicks at goal which would've really put the Boks, forced to essentially just defend in the first 40 after their more attacking approach went wrong, in a spot of bother.
But South Africa emerged for the second half more calm and pragmatic.
They cut down on their error rate, used Ruan Pienaar (then employed as a specialist No 10) to punish Scottish mistakes with his boot and had super-sub Jaque Fourie to thank for a decisive try.
Even so, the Boks just held on in the final moments.
2010: Scotland 21 Springboks 17
Unlike two years previously, the Boks went into this game over-confident and perhaps even complacent.
Scotland had just the previous week been hammered 3-49 by the All Blacks, lulling South Africa into a false sense of security.
Their build-up was badly disrupted.
The duo of Bjorn Basson and Chilliboy Ralepelle were sent home early in the week for positive tests for banned substances though that eventually proved to be a mix-up.
Furthermore, Bryan Habana broke his hand in training to further compound an already desperate casualty list.
Williem Alberts would eventually score the only try of the match, but the Boks couldn't summon the type of discipline that would keep a trigger happy referee Stuart Dickinson at bay.
Scottish pivot Dan Parks slotted no less than six penalties and a drop goal in a testament to the South Africans' lack of accuracy.
As it turned out, that defeat cost them a rare Grand Slam on European soil.
2012: Scotland 10 Springboks 21
Hooker Adriaan Strauss was the dominant personality in this game as he delivered a fine showing.
He scored both the Boks' tries, the second a predatory intercept as Heyneke Meyer's charges surged into a 21-3 lead early in the second half.
Yet inexplicably, the South Africans switched off after that and granted Scotland the freedom to launch a comeback.
While the Boks' composure on defence was laudable, the home side had enough to the ascendancy to render the eventual scoreline far closer than appeared on paper.
2013: Scotland 0 Springboks 28
This result was more of a throwback to the Springboks' dominance of this fixture in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
In many respects, this was a vintage performance, one that combined power with a fair amount of precision as South Africa scored four tries and kept a clueless home side scoreless.
The only disappointment was that they didn't punish their opponents even more as their try-scoring habit (the Boks were the best attacking team at international level that year) subsided to an extent.
But there could be no complaints over a comfortable scoreline after the struggles of the previous years.
2018: Scotland 20 Springboks 26
Handre Pollard was South Africa's hero, scoring 18 points in a fine performance that, in hindsight, was the difference between two burgeoning if inconsistent teams.
The Bok pivot made his presence immediately felt with the line-break that led to Jesse Kriel's opening try and one prominent surge rewarding him with a score of his own.
But the Scots, inspired by former Stormers centre Huw Jones, were full value as they invariably hit back.
There was one particularly canny moment when a short line-out caught the Boks off-guard and allowed flanker Hamish Watson to dive over.
Despite the inconvenience of a soft yellow card to Willie le Roux for what looked like a legitimate interception attempt, the Boks' power proved superior and they also started to show the imposing defence they've now become renowned for under Jacques Nienaber to snuff out a late Scottish assault.