Ireland have come a long way

Some answers of a very positive nature from the Irish perspective emerged from the match against South Africa last Sunday. A few lessons too have been administered for the players and the management to absorb and work on for the Six Nations Championship.

It was a match not always marked by quality, and the very strong and disconcerting wind did not help. But it was a contest that contained some great passages of play and was very exciting and entertaining.

Losing by a 10-point margin after the scores were level in the 79th minute was frustrating and disappointing. The feeling was that Ireland had a great chance of attaining what would have been a great and historic victory. It is hard, bearing in mind what happened in those closing crucial moments, not to agree with the feelings of Ireland captain Keith Wood in his post-match comments: "We could have won it and really should have won it." Losing a match in the last few minutes, after going 13-0 down with just 27 minutes gone and drawing level twice, added to the sense of frustration and disappointment.

When Tyrone Howe's superb try levelled the scores at 18-18 with 15 minutes to go, I felt that Ireland would win or at least get what would have been a very honourable draw. But fortune smiled on the Springboks and the killer blow was van Straaten's 79th-minute penalty. Ireland then had to throw caution to the wind and sure enough they got punished with Venter's injury-time try.

And speaking of wind, might Ireland not have been better off to play with it instead of against it in the first half after winning the toss? Playing against a team like the Springboks, I would always opt for the advantage of the elements. The benefits of points on the board and making them chase the game are psychological as well as tangible.

But as a counter to that argument, Ireland did go in just three points adrift at the interval. That was a very satisfactory position although perhaps a little flattering, bearing in mind the territorial advantage and the possession the Springboks had won. But the task of containment had also imposed its own physical strains on Ireland.

One thing is for sure, the match proved that this Ireland side has come a mighty long way since the disappointment of the defeat by Argentina in Lens 12 months ago and the humiliation of Twickenham.

Quite apart from the vast improvement in skill in so many areas, the resilience and spirit in the side are now very evident. Not so long ago, if Ireland had trailed 13-0 to a team like the Springboks after 27 minutes, the match would have been over.

Although neither Peter Stringer nor Ronan O'Gara were at their vintage best - they were not helped by the fact that at times the Ireland scrum was under pressure - some of the Irish back play was excellent and the Irish backs were far more creative than the opposition. The Irish lineout was also better, but the Springboks' ball retention, rucking and play on the ground were superior.

Too often, tackles were missed by Ireland that enabled the Springboks to run the ball out of defence when they should have been pinned near their own line. But on this evidence Ireland are now competitive against the superpowers south of the equator. The Ireland team has come a long way in a short time but still has some way to go.

However, the management has options and there is a strength in depth in the game in this country that will enable them, should they deem it necessary, to exercise them.

There will be careful studies of the video of the match by both teams and managements. The referee Steve Lander, his touch judges and those who appointed them should study it carefully and when they do, should realise just what a truly awful performance Lander gave. To say the performances of the match officials were substandard is to put it mildly. One wonders sometimes if some referees have any feel for the game at all.

Both teams have reason to be unhappy at decisions made and some that were not. O'Gara's first penalty was clearly wide yet deemed good. Time after time, the Springbok forwards came in from the side and did so with impunity, and there was also regular obstruction on the fringes.

One does not blame the Springboks for that, they played the game in the circumstances as they found them. Teams know when and how to stretch and bend the laws with an incompetent referee.

A few of the penalties Lander did give showed his total lack of sensitivity, appreciation and feel for the game - witness one he gave against Denis Hickie. I would love to see the report on Lander's performance.

He was also wrong in awarding a five-yards scrum when the ball rebounded off an upright after a penalty kick by Montgomery and hit touch judge Ed Morrison before bouncing back from the goal area. Ireland should have been awarded a drop-out, as the ball was clearly going to go into the dead ball area or to an Irish player behind the line. In that case the law provides for a drop-out to the defending side.

But the Springboks did nothing illegal in withdrawing a man from the scrum when they were down to 14 players. They were entitled to do it.

The debates and analyses will continue and that in itself is no bad thing. But the Springboks were guilty of blatant gamesmanship in bringing Robbie Fleck off the field at half time, allegedly because of a blood injury, and then bringing him back on after 64 minutes. It is not the first time they have indulged in that exercise.

I gather the video "referee" will be available at Lansdowne Road for the Six Nations series. With referees and touch judges like we had last Sunday it could be needed.