Ireland are excellent front-runners, but they don’t chase as well, a fact borne out in examining their most recent defeats prior to travelling to South Africa. Immediately ceding control in Pretoria didn’t augur well but even then sharper, more intuitive game management might have delivered a different outcome.
The scrum was a triumph initially, winning two penalties and a free kick but that momentum was diffused by the arrival of the Springboks’ ‘bomb squad, who twice squeezed Ireland until they popped, the second of which led to a penalty try. Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong made significant contributions and will be pivotal again on Saturday in all aspects of the game. Irish ball carriers need to make themselves less readily identifiable to the South African double tackle; footwork, tip-on passes, shifting ball further away from the fringes of the breakdown will ensure that as an occupation it will be less physically punishing.
South Africa used outside centre Jesse Kriel as a distributor as well as a buttress, while Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit popped up in wider channels. Number eight Kwagga Smith had a roving commission to hit rucks, clean out, support, or take on static ball. Backs coach Tony Smith will have a few more wrinkles in his attacking ploys.