Joe Schmidt hails benchmark Ireland victory

This felt like a bit of a benchmark, if not a landmark, win. Ireland hadn't beaten one of the southern hemisphere big three since eclipsing Australia at the 2011 World Cup, or overcome one of them at home for five years, since the 15-10 victory over the Springboks in 2009.

The only blemish was the concession of an 80th minute try, restricting Ireland to a 29-15 win when a victory by more than 15 points would have elevated them from fifth to the dizzy heights of third in the world rankings.

Nonetheless, although the first weekend of this month’s global sparring a year out from the real deal suggested the northern hemisphere are not that far behind after all, as the English and Welsh were yet again reminded on Saturday, scalping one of the big three is rare. This, after all, was also only Ireland’s fifth win over the Springboks in 22 meetings.

“It’s probably a benchmark result for us,” admitted Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, albeit he and this group are more “performance driven”, adding: “and I think our performance tonight at times was superhuman. The amount of times guys had to get up and make repeated tackles against such big strong carriers. At the same time I think next week could be entirely different.

Influence

"It's hard to say one Test will influence another. I think if you look back four weeks ago, South Africa were superb against the All Blacks. Past performance guarantees nothing in the future and I think all Test players understand that. The only thing that guarantees performance is the best preparation you can put yourself through and then hopefully that performance will be good enough to get the result."

Having targeted one big scalp in this Guinness Series, Schmidt and co will assuredly want three wins from three now. With Georgia in mind next Sunday, and the Wallabies just six days later, the plan had always been to rotate heavily and this win hasn’t changed anything.

Next two games

“We’ve kind of mapped out a little bit how we might approach the next two games. But it is definitely something that we’ll discuss on Monday mornings when we get together as coaches. There are some guys who played tonight who won’t play next week because I don’t think they’re physically capable of getting bashed like they did tonight and getting up again eight days later and then trying to repeat that again six days later.”

One imagines the front-row – where Georgia's all Top 14 heavyweight wrestling lookalikes are formidable – falls into that category, and maybe Paul O'Connell and Peter O'Mahony might fall into that category, and possibly the Conor Murray-Johnny Sexton heartbeat as well.

As well as further analysis on the virus which ruled Chris Henry out on the morning of the game, Jared Payne's sprained foot was the only concern from a predictably bruising toll. Aside from analysis, preparation and the game plan, Schmidt also picks his sides well, and the Robbie Henshaw-Payne combination emerged in credit.

There was an early defensive glitch when Henshaw stepped up and out, and late on when Conor Murray was filling in for Payne. But there were some good carries, and their line speed and tackle execution in defence really applied pressure on the Boks' midfield.

Henshaw also put in one superb kick into space which led to the Rhys Ruddock try, while Payne made a typically well timed support run on to Kearney's break which led to one of Sexton's first-half penalties. One ventures the permutation will be seen again, possibly against Australia, depending on the extent of Payne's scan today.

“Look, there was a quiet confidence within the coaching group and within the team, and with the two lads themselves,” said Schmidt of a pairing which will grow in confidence from this game, and Henshaw especially will improve with experience.

"I don't think that's suddenly solved the problem because there's big shoes to fill but at the same time it's given us an option that worked out okay tonight and I think you'll see an alternative next week, particularly with Jared limping. He may not be able to play next week and we've got with Stu Olding coming back and Gordon D'Arcy is fully fit now, so we have got a few options there."

Typically clever

So much of this performance bore the hallmark of a typically clever Schmidt team. There was the way they defended the South African line-out maul. This season Glasgow have adapted a new twist to this art, not only by standing off, thus ensuring it is not a maul, but then in turn legally employing a prop to come round the side and snaffle the ball carrier at the back.

Whether taking a leaf out of that manual or not, in a clever defensive ploy clearly planned on the training ground in the certain knowledge that the macho Boks would go to their maul regularly, three times Ireland stood off and employed Jack McGrath to come round the side and engulf the carrier. Always thinking, this Irish set-up. Always thinking.

But then the old maxim applies, if you stand still in sport you get overtaken. Describing the win as satisfying and a relief, Schmidt added: “I’ve no doubt that teams will work us out a little bit and put pressure on us and you’ve got to keep evolving. That’s a challenge for the coaching group, to help the players who drive the environment to do that.”

‘Mana’

No-one drives it more than Paul O’Connell, of whom an admiring Scmidt said: “Look, there’s not a lot I can add to the Paul O’Connell (story). He has an incredible amount of respect. A word that sums him up is that he’s just got ‘Mana’. (A Maori word meaning someone of great character). A guy who does not know how to give up, he prides himself on being as well prepared as he can be and he has massive respect within the group because of how he delivers.

“There are a lot of guys who physically get into good shape, but he’s one of the most mentally tough players I’ve been involved with. For us he’s probably a line in the sand. I’m not sure myself how he does it, because I think I’d be crumpled and that would be at the start of the game. He just keeps going right through the game. That’s why he has so much respect and that’s why he’s a genuine captain who leads by example.”