Share

Irish bring Boks back to earth

Dublin - South African rugby came back down to earth with a thud at the weekend after a disappointing defeat in Ireland contrasted with the heady delight of beating top-ranked New Zealand just one month ago.

A 29-15 loss in Dublin on Saturday was the first Springbok loss to a team from the northern hemisphere since a 2010 defeat by Scotland and will leave the South Africans reassessing their World Cup chances less than a year away from the tournament.

"Our standards are higher than what we showed against Ireland and we simply made too many errors," admitted captain Jean de Villiers after the match, just over a month after the Boks edged the All Blacks in Johannesburg.

"Yes, our first phase play was very good and I thought we dominated the scrums and the lineouts, but we didn't retain the ball and you can't play rugby without the ball."

"The Irish deserve a lot of credit -- they played the conditions better and were tactically superior," added coach Heyneke Meyer.

"We knew it was going to be a tough tussle and we were not good enough on the day."

The result now puts added pressure on the team for next Saturday's fixture against England, which was always going to be their toughest assignment on a four-match European tour and a benchmark of their World Cup credentials.

This was further emphasised by the narrow margin of victory New Zealand achieved over England (24-21) at Twickenham on Saturday.

"We can't afford to dwell too much on what is now in the past," Meyer added.

"We have a massive game against England and we simply have to show a massive improvement because they will be just as tough to beat at home."

South Africa also play Italy and Wales this month.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE