Springbok captain John Smit was full of praise for his coach following the Boks’ stunning 31-17 upset win over the Irish at Vodacom Park on Saturday.
Ireland came to South Africa on the back of impressive displays at the Rugby World Cup last year and a good campaign in this season’s Six Nations, that saw them win the Triple Crown for the first time since 1985.
”It is great to work with a guy like that and despite the setbacks in the buildup we have come through,” said Smit, who was captain of the SA under-21 team that won the Sanzar championship in Argentina with White at the helm.
White, meanwhile was equally praiseworthy of his skipper: ”All the credit should go to John Smit; he was an amazing influence during the week and he came out firing on the field today.”
”The players were nervous before the match, but by halftime I could feel and sense that the players were up for it. We knew the second half would count and we put massive pressure on them and hit them behind the gain line.”
Although White is a happy and relieved man, he and his charges will not be seen frequenting any nightspots to celebrate the victory in the Free State capital as White has installed a no alcohol rule.
The win took the Boks up 1-0 in the series with one to play, and the whole Bok squad are fully aware of the huge effort that will be required at Newlands — a venue that is likely to suite the visitors more than the hard surface in Bloemfontein.
”The biggest thing we wanted from this match was to start with a win. There are things that need to be worked on, but we are looking forward to Cape Town and the chance to win the series.”
Ireland were well in the game in the first half, but had no answer to the terrific onslaught by the home team after the break that saw them run in three unanswered tries.
The hero for South Africa though was lock Bakkies Botha, who was named man of the match for his two tries and sterling work in the tight and loose all afternoon.
”The ball just bounced well for me and I just have to thank God for the opportunity. It was a tremendous game of rugby,” said a humble Botha afterwards.
The Irish will now travel to Cape Town on Sunday licking their wounds, with inspirational centre Gordon D’Arcy in doubt for the second Test.
Centre partner and captain, Brian O’Driscoll felt the Irish had squandered some gilt-edged opportunities to stamp their authority on the match in the first period.
”We didn’t have a lot of possession and didn’t really get out of second gear, but I felt we still had the winning of the game.
”Of course, our discipline let us down after the break. Their were just too many turnovers and handling errors,” said a visibly disappointed O’Driscoll.
”There is a lot of hard work to do. We have one week of the season left and we hope to end on a high note.” – Sapa