Ireland 12 – 16 South Africa

One of the few reasons I back Heyneke Meyer to be success as Springbok coach, is the fact that he is a winner and he finds a way to make his team win. The game’s epic third quarter and the resilience to hold onto the lead, was a big step in the growth of the 23 players who made the squad on Saturday.

Yes, an extra try would have been nice but that would have undermined the resilience shown to hold onto the win. Let’s not cheapen the victory by saying it was a poor out of form Ireland side, because they did not look a side without a win in six. They came out the blocks quickly and put the Boks under pressure at ruck time. They were not

terribly fluid but they were effective. And their nine point lead at half-time was fully deserved. Remember, they might be missing their top players. We were missing a good squad of players from our team.

The Boks struggled with referee Wayne Barnes’ strict but fair interpretation of the breakdown laws and needed to be quicker to the tackled ball carrier.

However the halftime rollicking by Meyer put them in their place, especially the forwards and immediately brought success with Pienaar’s try. Two more penalties from Lambie took the game away from the Irish, who never made an impression on the Boks’ defensive lines. The Boks were rock solid. As Naas says, 1 point is a win, 2 points is a hiding.

Let’s consider the circumstances, Etzebeth, Kruger, Coetzee, Vermeulen, Taute, Cilliers and Heinke Van Der Merwe are all touring for the first time. The Boks lost Steenkamp and The Beast in the build up to the game. Heinke trained only once with the team. CJ had to start at loose-head for the first time in ages. Lambie was restarting his career at flyhalf and then there is injury list and unavailable players. Mtarawira, Steenkamp, Oosthuizen, Du Plessis, Bekker, Liebenberg, Burger, Smith, Kolisi, Kankowski, Brussouw, Spies, Habana, Steyn, Fourie, Du Preez and Basson. That is 17 players! So much for the Irish being depleted…

So now for the Scots, who got properly thumped by the All Blacks. We in all probability will not be as convincing but the result should never be in doubt. Especially if Meyer resists the urge to give some guys a run. There is potential for a number for changes, coupled with a more motivated and organised Scottish side, in horrible conditions within which hold their own and be competitive. However there are some selections Meyer and company will have to look at. Upfront it has been confirmed that The Beast will be returning home after suffering more heart palpitations and will be replaced by Frans Malherbe. Heinke Van Der Merwe made a big statement with his performance off the bench and could bypass CJ, especially if Guthro is still struggling with injury. Dr Du Plessis was also carrying a knock and might be rested.

The rest of the questions lie in the back line where the Hougaard experiment is not coming off, it might be time for Mvovo, Mapoe or Rhule to get a chance. The move to get Jub-Jub back at 13 and Taute to fullback could be taken against the Scots. Although Jub-Jub might come straight into the side replacing captain Jean De Villiers who is nursing his hamstring. Lambie was superb, but this might be the only chance to have a look at Elton Jantjies at 10, especially with England a week down the line.

In the end, I imagine Meyer will err on the side of caution and make minimal changes. Either way we should start the game with at least a ten to 15 point lead. We owe the Scots one after the last visit to Braveheart country.

Damien S

Ireland 12 – 16 South Africa