First Test: South Africa 27 Ireland 20
The manner of the defeat will hurt more on review than the outcome because Ireland will be tantalised by a pocketful of regrets. Sport can be cruel, and it was brutish at times for the visitors in terms of the injury profile that removed several high achieving, green-shirted contributors and also in arbitrary misfortune, that materialised in decisions made by Irish players and the match officials.
However, while it is possible to review elements of the performance with a sympathetic eye, no one, least of all Ireland head coach Andy Farrell and his players, are going to gloss over the shortcomings, because to do so will serve no purpose and instead be counterintuitive to addressing the improvements required for next Saturday’s second Test in Durban.
Ireland will rue a sluggish first-half performance periodically lacking in accuracy and energy in attack and the customary ferocity or intensity in defence. Individual lapses imposed a high tariff on the scoreboard, while a decision or two, made for the right reasons, came a cropper because others failed to react.
Cheslin Kolbe’s try was a classic example. James Lowe’s acrobatics were undone because no one anticipated that outcome, his team-mates collectively hesitated for a split second, which permitted the South African wing who has never accepted a lost cause, to fly-hack the ball on and score a try.
There were mental errors too, Lowe’s handling mistake from the kick-off following Conor Murray’s beautifully engineered try was compounded by a lack of concentration in the ensuing scrum. It cost the visitors a penalty try and replacement hooker Rónan Kelleher a yellow card, the latter a ludicrous decision to blame the hooker.
South Africa scored three tries, the first when Ireland failed to number up or communicate correctly in letting Kurt-Lee Arendse escape on the outside, the second when Kolbe picked a pocket, and the third the penalty try from a scrum.
The disappointment is that South Africa didn’t have to work hard for those scores and that indiscipline in the form of avoidable penalties gave the Springboks a chance to release pressure or easy access to Irish territory. Handrè Pollard’s errant placekicking gave Ireland a respite they couldn’t have countenanced.
A counterpoint is that Ireland defended brilliantly, with great courage and resilience for large swatches of the game, epitomised by the outstanding Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong and Tadhg Beirne, who took the game to the Springboks with vigour and determination. So too Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw.
[ South Africa 27 Ireland 20: How the Irish players ratedOpens in new window ]
Craig Casey was sharp in his work, embellished with a couple of lovely kicks before suffering a terrible concussion, the context and content of which should be examined further. Jamie Osborne can be proud of his try-scoring debut, growing into the game nicely, while Lowe was brilliant in attack, often a fulcrum from Ireland’s best moments in that aspect of the game.
His disallowed try was a contentious decision. Television match official Ben Whitehouse maintained that replacement hooker Kelleher hooked the ball back while on the ground, even though he couldn’t possibly have seen the ball given the angle of his body; a marginal call to say the least.
Kelleher, Garry Ringrose, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, and Murray added impetus and quality off the bench and helped to elevate Ireland’s second-half patterns.
Ireland scored three tries, Dan Sheehan, another to excel before injury, was a catalyst for Osborne’s with a gorgeous offload. Finlay Bealham’s hands and Kelleher’s line were superb for the second, while the third was all about Baird, who started and finished the move – Lowe had an important cameo – with typical athleticism.
It’s important to acknowledge, and Farrell did in the aftermath, that the Springboks deserved their win. There was a subtle shift to their attacking patterns, using Jesse Kriel as a playmaker or runner further out, while his midfield partner Damian de Allende had a superb game in contact. They still had plenty of corrosive carriers, especially off quick ball, and they too will note areas for growth.
Ireland will look at a work schedule this week, one that will once again, personnel dependent, focus on the set piece. Their breakdown work was superb for the most part, turning over the ball and putting significant pressure on Faf de Klerk.
The Irish starting pack did Trojan work in the scrum, dominating through the first half a dozen – the fall off thereafter was concerning when South Africa introduced the six forwards in the ‘bomb squad’ after 49 minutes. In terms of the lineout, Paul O’Connell will want to put a little more pressure on the Springbok throw.
What Ireland need to do now is to draw together the strands of what was good, some of it excellent, and look to improve the areas, mental and physical, that allow them to be more proactive on the scoreboard. It can’t be about who’s missing next week because of injuries. The Irish squad doesn’t lack character. Saturday in Durban is a chance to step up, individually and collectively.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 2 mins: Arendse try, Pollard con, 7-0; 11: Crowley pen, 7-3; 16: Pollard pen, 10-3; 28: Pollard pen, 13-3; 35: Osborne try, 13-8. Half-time: 13-8. 66: Kolbe try, Pollard con, 20-8; 74: Murray try, Crowley con, 20-15; 77: Penalty try, 27-15; 78: Baird try, 27-20.
SOUTH AFRICA: W le Roux (Bulls); C Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath), J Kriel (Canon Eagles), D de Allende (Wild Knights), K-L Arendse (Bulls); H Pollard (Leicester Tigers), F de Klerk (Canon Eagles); O Nche (Sharks), B Mbonambi (Sharks), F Malherbe (Stormers); E Etzebeth (Sharks), F Mostert (Honda Heat); S Kolisi (Racing 92, capt), P-S du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), K Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs).
Replacements: M Marx (Kubota Spears) for Mbonambi, G Steenekamp (Bulls) for Nche, V Koch (Sharks) for Malherbe, S Moerat (Stormers) for Mostert, RG Snyman (Leinster) for Etzebeth, M van Staden (Bulls) for Kolisi (all 49 mins); G Williams (Sharks) (58); S Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers) for Pollard (73).
Yellow card: Arendse (73 mins).
IRELAND: J Osborne (Leinster); C Nash (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Crowley (Munster), C Casey (Munster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster); T Beirne (Munster), J McCarthy (Leinster); P O’Mahony (Munster, capt), J Van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster) for Sheehan, G Ringrose (Leinster) for Henshaw (both h-t); J Ryan (Leinster) for McCarthy, R Baird (Leinster) for O’Mahony, C Frawley (Leinster) for Osborne (all 49 mins); C Healy (Leinster) for Porter (49-62 and 73); F Bealham (Connacht) for Furlong (62); C Murray (Munster) for Casey (64).
Yellow card: Kelleher (76 mins).
Referee: L Pearce (England).
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