The South African Sunday Times wrote that Ireland did their lofty world ranking justice as they rose to the occasion in the big moments in the second half to beat the Springboks 19-16 at the Aviva on Saturday.
“Ireland masterfully neutralised the Springboks upfront, drawing the sting not just from their maul but their much vaunted scrum,” wrote Liam del Carme.
“Ireland, desperate to prove they are worthy holders of the game’s top ranking, have long coveted the tag of World Champions. If Ireland sought validation, their ticket got stamped on Saturday night.”
Zelim Nel of South Africa Rugby Magazine wrote the Springboks paid for questionable selections in Dublin, particularly with the selection of Cheslin Kolbe at fullback, but head coach Rassie Erasmus might have the future in mind.
“The questionable timing of the positional switch for Kolbe was surprising; the implications for the team were concerning,” he wrote.
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“The odd selections made it clear last week that the world champions were headed to Dublin with more than just winning on the brain – a sure sign things would not go well when they came up against single-minded Ireland.
“South Africa won’t see Ireland again until September next year when they rematch in a Pool B clash at Stade de France. Is it possible that Erasmus used Saturday’s Test to show Ireland something different to what he has planned for them in France?”
A lack of execution and cutting edge cost the Boks against Ireland, wrote Craig Ray of the Daily Maverick.
“The Boks continue to do enough to win games, only to blow chances or fail to execute in the red zone,” he wrote. “But let’s also concede that Ireland was excellent. When they were under the cosh in the first half an hour, they held firm in the face of a ferocious Bok onslaught. Their defensive line bent and warped, but never broke.
He said South Africa will be aggrieved by refereeing decisions from Nika Amashukeli: “Sexton threw a massive forward pass as Ireland attacked. How the officials missed it remains a mystery and a phase later the Boks conceded a penalty, which led to the lineout, which led to the try. Small margins.”
Very few mentioned the Cheslin Kolbe yellow card decision for a tip tackle as a controversial decision, which Matt Williams believed was a red card on Virgin Media. Ashfak Mohamed of Independent Online in South Africa focused heavily on the referee, blaming “blatant errors and hometown calls” for the Springboks defeat but said South Africa had enough chances to beat Ireland.
Criticising Amashukeli, he wrote “the two major errors he made eventually led to both Ireland tries – a forward pass from veteran flyhalf Johnny Sexton, and then another forward pass from loosehead prop Andrew Porter to tighthead replacement Finlay Bealham.”
“In general, he allowed the Irish players to lie on the wrong side of the ruck to slow down the Boks’ attacking ball; he missed clear scrum infringements that led to penalties for the hosts; and the Irish were allowed to contest the breakdowns when it had already become a ruck.”
Mike Greenaway of the same website blamed a lack of a recognised goal-kicker for the defeat.
“Unfortunately, Damian Willemse failed the big test, and his unfortunate game management and kicking at goal have highlighted the need for Handre Pollard to return from injury sooner rather than later,” he wrote.
