Ireland were empowered to play, to make decisions and they possessed the fortitude to choose the harder option
Every failure was another psychological ‘w’ for the Springboks, but as Paul O’Connell said in his prematch observations, he loves the way that this team solves problems on the pitch. And that’s what they did to a large extent. They simplified matters went to Peter O’Mahony were a little more dynamic across the ground.
On 33 minutes, Ireland could have opted to take the points but again went “all-in” after winning the penalty. Sexton barely paused before drilling the ball into the corner. The winner of this mini duel, the pivotal moment, one that would be talked up or down depending on the outcome; hindsight determining folly or a moment of inspiration.It wasn’t an easy throw and Kelleher deserves great credit for hitting Beirne and Ireland now needed to make the possession count.
Hugo Keenan’s clearout at the ensuing ruck, awkward to get right because it was so close to the posts, ensured that his team retained the ball and then James Lowe’s speed of thought and hand to spot the onrushing defender and get his pass away to Mack Hansen. The winger’s soft-shoe shuffle perilously close to the end-line brought a collective spike to the blood pressure of Irish fans in Paris and at home. So many things happened in the second half, the Springboks wasting several chances with the placed ball but those two episodes in the first half in some respects define this team and their coaches.
They are empowered to play, to make decisions and they possessed the bottle, the fortitude to choose the harder option. The performance is an irrelevance for now. Ireland have beaten the world champions in the
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