Five things we learned from Ireland’s loss to the Springboks in the first Test

Ireland’s mental attitude kept them in game to the end

Ireland have developed a supple attitude and the confidence to know they can beat any side in the world. Even though it did not happen in Pretoria on Saturday, the way the team refused to capitulate, scoring two tries in the closing minutes will travel with them to Kings Park in Durban this week.

Ireland will look at the decisions that went against them, the mistakes they made but also at the finish when bench players Conor Murray and Ryan Baird outscored the home side two to one. In a game that is often about mental toughness and self-belief in what they are doing and how they are doing it, Ireland demonstrated they have the tenacity to bridge a seven-point margin.

Team-mates need to tune into Lowe frequency

James Lowe probably wished the ground would swallow him up after he set up the fastest man in world rugby, Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe, for a gift second-half try. Expertly keeping the ball alive (as he did for Jamie Osborne’s first-half try) by jumping into touch and throwing the ball back into play before his feet touched the ground was a delightful piece of choreography.

But it’s pity nobody else on the Irish team was on the same page. Had players moved quickly and decisively across in anticipation of another Lowe trick, the loose ball could have been collected. Lowe did the right thing and was harshly punished largely because of a lack of awareness.

First-quarter panic proved costly

It has been a long time since Ireland looked so exposed to an attacking team as they did in the first quarter of Saturday’s game. Springbok fullback Willie le Roux looked as though he had slowed down time such was his poise as he kicked through balls and darted forward to trigger Irish panic wide on both sides.

The first try from Kurt-Lee Arendse found Josh van der Flier in no man’s land and Jamie Osborne sidestepped. In that phase Ireland had to scramble hard to stop Springbok momentum. With Garry Ringrose coming into outside centre for the injured Robbie Henshaw, who was having a good game, Ireland seemed more at home in their defensive play around the fringes.

Ireland come out the wrong side of key marginal call

You might wonder what was going through the mind of referee Luke Pearce when the TMO intervened to point out a foul. On the replays it seemed to take place right in front of him. With Rónan Kelleher hitting a ruck and Bundee Aki ferreting out the ball to send James Lowe off on a magnificent run down the right wing, Pearce was told to look for the ball being played on the ground in the ruck.

Sure, enough it came back, although you could ask if it was the adjustment of bodies on the ground that caused the movement. Either way Ireland’s try was scratched off in a marginal call. It was all above board and according to the laws but also unsatisfactory.

Ireland need to make kicks count in second Test

Neither Jack Crowley nor Springbok outhalf Handrè Pollard had their best day off the tee and that could be a point of difference come Durban and the second Test. The change in Irish tactics saw Crowley kick for the posts early in the match for 7-3 and get Ireland on the board instead of going for a lineout and the traditional driving maul with Dan Sheehan coming off the back.

That marked a small change in Ireland’s mindset about getting the scoreboard turning over. It was also a comment on the South African defence at lineouts, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Franco Mostert, in particular, very strong in the air. Ireland also struggled to breakdown the Springboks’ D. So, the kicks need to land.

• Sep 21

The unexpected plot twist in this ‘morning after the night before’ exchange is a hilariously funny read