World-class effort downs superpower

Ireland v South Africa analysis: What impressed me most during last week's build-up was the leadership of Brian O'Driscoll. He said repeatedly Ireland would attempt to maintain a high performance level over 80 minutes.

Shane Horgan's late try ensured this assertion was delivered upon.

There was one particular moment that confirmed O'Driscoll has matured into a quality captain. Late in the game, when Ireland won a penalty about 25 yards out, he slowly walked up to Ronan O'Gara and instructed him to close out the contest with three points.

This is the first time Ireland delivered a world-class performance against one of rugby's superpowers. The psychological benefits of this victory are enormous, and a lot of credit goes to O'Driscoll for the manner in which he turned provider for the runners around him.

This was also the first time an Irish back line fused the potent force of Leinster with the halfback control of Munster. It was Gordon D'Arcy's best game for his country, with a combination of brilliant footwork and immense strength in getting over the gain line.

But the whole team must be complimented for the manner they targeted the defender's inside shoulder and offloaded out of the tackle in textbook fashion.

Andrew Trimble's try best exemplifies this, as O'Gara ran at the Springbok line before a perfectly timed delivery.

The young Ulster winger had a fine game, but there are small things he must refine to improve his link play. At one stage he was carrying the ball down the left wing in his right hand, thus denying himself an opportunity to offload in contact. He is a quality player and will learn to iron out such minor deficiencies.

O'Gara mixed the game perfectly throughout and played a part in David Wallace's try that quite simply oozed class. It showed what Ireland can achieve at the height of their powers.

There is a significant improvement even from 12 months ago in Irish angles and lines of running, along with the interaction between forwards and backs.

It would be churlish not to give credit right across the board. The players have matured, but the coaching staff must also be getting it right.

While taking nothing away from Ireland's cohesive performance, it must be noted that South Africa were abysmal in every department other than the scrum. It was their worst performance since 2002.

I don't know if it is the political structures, but something is not right when a Springbok fullback, Bevin Fortuin, is at least a stone overweight. Several players were not deserving of the jersey.

Their World Cup team will have only one or two survivors from this group.

The Irish lineout struggled at times, although the conditions must be taken into consideration here as both hookers had to contend with the gale. Still, a significant improvement is required before Australia come to Lansdowne Road next Sunday.

The body positioning and footwork at scrum time were also terrible, but this will not be exploited by the Wallabies, who have the worst scrum of the elite rugby nations.

The set-piece may not have been perfect, but the Irish forwards were heroic at the breakdown, arriving early and in numbers. But surely David Wallace doesn't need to be found at the bottom of rucks. He is an exceptional ball-carrier and must be afforded more opportunities to be the link man.

The backrow combination is still not strong enough.

Another worrying concern was the ground South Africa made when they got early ball wide.

Australia will come seeking to exploit the space outside O'Driscoll. Also, only John Hayes and Peter Stringer appeared to cover the blindside, so expect Chris Latham and Lote Tuqiri to come teeming down this alley.

The bench could have been used better than springing three guys with just a minute remaining. What was the point? I don't think Paddy Wallace touched the ball for his first cap, which is a real shame.

Next week is the real test, with Australia set to field a full-strength team, except for George Gregan, so Ireland must maintain an "attack at every opportunity" attitude.

Psychologically this result is invaluable and the confidence must be sky high, but nowhere near that of New Zealand, who produced an unbelievable defensive performance in hammering France. Their rugby-league patterns were flawless.

They look untouchable.