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- The Proteas have generally given a good account of themselves in first Tests against Australia Down Under.
- They've only lost one of their seven opening games since they resumed touring Australia in 1993.
- South Africa will be playing a Test in Brisbane for the first time since 2012 and the second time since 1963.
The Proteas have been on the receiving end of famous beatings Down Under, but their first Test showings in Australia have often been dogfights they've seen off.
Ahead of Saturday's Test at the Gabba, here's how the South Africans have fared in opening Tests in Australia since 1993:
1993/94: Melbourne - Match drawn
SA's long-awaited return to cricket's coliseum was the dampest of squibs, with rain preventing a start on Boxing Day until 17:00 and washing out the second day entirely.
Day three was also badly affected by rain, turning days four and five into batting practice for Mark Taylor, who made 170 out of Australia's 342/7 declared.
South Africa responded with 258/3, with Andrew Hudson (64), Kepler Wessels (63*), and Hansie Cronje (71*) also getting more than decent batting practice ahead of what became a memorable Sydney Test won by the tourists.
Australia bounced back to win the third Test in Adelaide to square the series in Allan Border's last Test engagement at home.
1997/98: Melbourne - Match drawn
By the time this series started, the gap between Australia and the rest of the world had grown, but worryingly for them, they'd lost to the West Indies by six wickets on a dodgy surface.
The 1997 Boxing Day Test was played on a far more agreeable pitch, with Ricky Ponting (105, his first ton in Australia) and Steve Waugh (96) steering them to the safety of 309.
SA batted themselves into a standstill, with their 186 coming off 106.5 overs, allowing Australia a healthy lead that they also slowly swelled up to 381.
That still gave them 122 overs to bowl South Africa out, but Jacques Kallis' 101 ensured SA escaped with a draw.
South Africa lost by an innings in Sydney and drew a controversial Adelaide Test that allowed Mark Taylor's side to win the series.
2001/02: Adelaide - Australia won by 246 runs
Australia went into this game on the back of being held 0-0 by a plucky New Zealand side across three Tests.
Their first innings of 439 - with contributions from Justin Langer (116) and Damien Martyn (124*) - was met with firm resistance from SA, who scored 374. Herschelle Gibbs (78), Neil McKenzie (87) and Mark Boucher (64) performed adequately.
But SA's wheels fell apart when Australia rushed to 309/7 on the back of quick scoring from Matthew Hayden (131) and Mark Waugh (74).
Only Kallis (65) mustered up any resistance as SA fell to 128 and they would fail to make 300 for three consecutive innings until the futile 452 when they followed on in Sydney.
The Proteas were hammered by nine and 10 wickets respectively at the MCG and SCG as the Australian juggernaut went on unchecked.
2005/06: Perth - Match drawn
What looked like a mid-scoring shootout when Australia's 258 was met by South Africa's 296 was blown out of the water by Brad Hodges's 208 that allowed Ricky Ponting to declare on 528/8.
Perth's hot weather had drawn the sting from the WACA surface, but surviving Shane Warne was difficult but doable.
Jacques Rudolph led the way with 102* and Justin Kemp with 55 as SA made 287/5. They weren't so fortunate in Melbourne and Sydney with 184-run and eight-wicket losses consigning them to a third consecutive series defeat in Australia.
2008/09: Perth - South Africa won by six wickets
375 played 281 that played 319 which led to what remains the second-highest successful Test chase as South Africa made 414/4 midway through the last day.
Australia bounced back from 15/3 to reach their formidable total, while the Proteas slipped from 234/3 to concede a first innings lead of 94 thanks to Mitchell Johnson's 8/61.
Australia had Brad Haddin's 94 to thank for their meaningful third innings score that had four unconverted 25-plus scores. But the Proteas put that into perspective with two fourth-innings tons from Graeme Smith (108) and AB de Villiers (108*) that were flanked by 50s from Kallis, Hashim Amla, and JP Duminy.
The tourists famously won the second Test at the MCG by nine wickets through JP Duminy's 166 and Dale Steyn's 76 and 10-wicket haul. The final Test in Sydney will be remembered for Smith entering folklore when he tried to bat with a broken hand, before Johnson dismissed him in the second last over of the game as the hosts won by 103 runs.
2012/13: Brisbane - Match drawn
Outside of Michael Clarke's whirlwind 259* that was propped up by Ed Cowan's 136 and Mike Hussey's 100, this was the most uneventful first salvo of a South Africa/Australia series Down Under.
Playing a Test in Brisbane for the first time since 1963, an odd stat for a team who played their first Test at the Gabba in 1931, South Africa made 450 on the back of tons from Amla (104) and Kallis (147).
The second day was washed out, but the trio of Australian tons carried the hosts to 565/5 and the 105-run lead troubled the visitors, who had enough in their batting tank to save the game with 166/5.
They moved to Adelaide where they engaged in an absorbing draw before SA ran away with the series with a 309-run win in Perth.
2016/17: Perth - South Africa won by 177 runs
At the height of repetitive West Indian beatings, Border once described Perth as an away game for Australia.
With Australia having failed to beat South Africa in three previous attempts at the ground, they looked odds on to do so when they first bowled them out for 244.
When the Baggy Greens motored to 158/0 in 35 overs, with Dale Steyn breaking his shoulder, it looked easy for the hosts.
The Proteas were on their way down, but showed their resilience in reducing the hosts to 242 all out, with Vernon Philander (4/56), Keshav Maharaj (3/56) and Kagiso Rabada (2/78) making inroads.
Duminy had also regressed as a Test batter at this stage, but picked the perfect stage to make 141 that was every bit as good as his 166 from 2008.
Dean Elgar, who made a pair on debut at the same ground four years earlier, made a satisfying 127, with Quinton de Kock (64 on top of his first innings 84) and Vernon Philander guiding SA to 540/8.
That left Australia with 539 to win and they were bowled out for 361. Rabada took 5/92, but worse was to follow for the hosts.
They were duffed by an innings inside three days in Hobart to concede a third consecutive home series to SA before dusting themselves off with a consolation seven-wicket win in the day-night Test in Adelaide.
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