MONDAY, 12.30PM:
THE IRISH rugby side silenced their critics when they produced some sparkling rugby at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, restricting the Springboks to a 37-13 victory margin.
The South Africans started brilliantly, with right wing Stefan Terblanche scoring the first of his four tries on debut barely four minutes into the match.
The Boland youngster, who played for the Coastal Sharks in the Super-12, tackled ferociously, and his blistering pace should make him a future Test certainty.
The Springboks’ debutante flyhalf, Gaffie du Toit, played well considering that he got very poor service from scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen. Van der Westhuizen did not utilise the right options, and the whole backline suffered as a result.
The midfield partnership of Andre Snyman and Pieter Muller also did not work as well as expected, with the highly physical Muller overshadowing Snyman. Their style is also similar, which led to a lack of continuity.
The South African forwards did not perform either, with Mark Andrews a shadow of the player he was in December. Rassie Erasmus and Andre Venter looked very rusty, and need time to gel into an effective unit.
Terblanche scored his second try nine minutes into the second half, breaking the Irish half-time stranglehold of 13-10. Terblanche crossed the line two more times during the half.
Irish rightwing Justin Bishop scored Ireland’s only try after flyhalf eric Elwood launched a high kick towards the Springbok goalline, placing Percy Montgomery under pressure. Bishop followed-up and got the try.
Springbok coach Nick Mallett will have a lot of thinking to do after the Test, particularly replacements for Pieter Rossouw, Joost van der Westhuizen and Mark Andrews. The problem in midfield needs urgent attention, with either Snyman or Muller being relegated to the bench.