The three-match itinerary of the Springboks has given the Ireland management some pertinent information and the players some invaluable experience. One must hope it will be put to good effect in the New Year when the Five Nations Championship starts.

On the issue of the Five Nations, there seems to be some misconception that this season the championship will, in fact, be six nations. That is not so. Italy will be admitted in 2000. Ireland will, however, play Italy at Lansdowne Road in a friendly on April 10th.

However limited the opposition was in the two World Cup qualifying matches, those, along with the match against the Springboks and the matches between the Combined Provinces and Ireland A against South Africa should have helped concentrate the minds of the Ireland management and players. The management will know that remedial action needs to be taken in some areas prior to the championship and, on a broader perspective, the World Cup in the autumn.

Having played three internationals so far this season, Ireland will play no fewer than seven more before the World Cup.

There will be four in the championship, one against Italy and two on the tour to Australia in the summer. That is 11 internationals in 10 months. Then comes the World Cup.

The performance of the Ireland pack against the Springboks underlined that the Ireland has an excellent base on which to build. Quicker possession on occasions would be even more beneficial, but work can be done on that and the talent is there to do it.

But Ireland now has not alone an excellent pack of forwards, but reserve strength in that area. One must bear in mind that, from the eight that started the match last Saturday, there are players of the calibre of Paul Wallace, Eric Miller, Jeremy Davidson, Ross Nesdale and Reggie Corrigan who were not in the starting line-up.

That quintet provide excellent alternatives in all three rows of the forwards. I greatly regret, too, that injury prevented Alan Quinlan from having any part to play in any of the matches over the last three weeks. He has the ability to play at international level, so the experience, for instance, of having played against South Africa for the Combined Provinces or the Ireland A team would have proved invaluable.

But if there is strength in depth in the forwards, there are obvious limitations that must cause major concern outside the scrum. Would that Ireland had alternative backs of the calibre of the forward strength.

Ireland failed to make best use of possession last Saturday and also paid a high price for mistakes, as was inevitable when faced by a team of such quality.

The referee, Clayton Thomas, will also have much better days with the whistle than he had last Saturday. But it was not his lack of vigilance that cost Ireland the match, although I felt the pass from which Joost van der Westhuizen scored his try was forward. But the pace and support play of the Springboks in that movement deserved the score.

Ireland's problems were basically outside the scrum. The back line as at present constituted is deficient as an attacking force. The tackling of the centres, Jonathan Bell and Kevin Maggs, was very good and maybe that pair represent the best options in that area. But talk about Ireland playing an expansive game with that back line is no more than a pious hope. There is not the pace, the flair or the perception in that line to play an expansive game and make it pay.

The half-backs, Conor McGuinness and Eric Elwood, were laboured, and some of McGuinness's kicking was both ill-judged and ill-advised. Elwood has served Ireland well for a long time, and he has many attributes; but he is not the man to play an expansive game. But do we have an out-half who is? The difference between the two sides at halfback last Saturday was both pronounced and important. Henry Honiball ran on to van de Westhuizen's passes every time, and the advantages that such a policy delivers are considerable. Some splendid tackling by Ireland was vital to curb the Springboks' backs. Andy Ward was outstanding in the Ireland back row and his tackling and work rate were immense.

But looking at the position that currently exists in Irish rugby, is there a candidate for the number 10 position that represents a better option that Elwood? Certainly on what we have seen so far this season, there is not. David Humphreys is the man most suggest as the alternative. He certainly did not do his cause any good at Ravenhill on Tuesday night.

Come to that, not many in the Ireland A team did either. They were very poor, collectively and individually. Humphreys is faster than Elwood, but there are aspects of his game and, indeed, his concentration that are too often exposed.

The Ireland management trio, Warren Gatland, Donal Lenihan and Philip Danaher, will have seen enough against Romania and, more notably, the Springboks to know as well as any and better than most the limitations that exist behind the Ireland scrum. They will know, too, that you tailor your tactics to the available talent. They know that, even with so strong a pack, Ireland will not prosper in the Five Nations Championship without some remedial action being taken behind the scrum.

So what options do the Irish management have behind the scrum as thoughts turn to the Five Nations series? Munster and Ulster will be playing crucial European Cup quarter-finals next weekend. These present players such as David Humphreys and Barry Everitt with further opportunities to give the management a prompt in relation to the number 10 jersey. I regret that Leinster are out of the competition.

Ciaran Scally emerged from the debacle at Ravenhill on Tuesday night with more credit marks than most. I believe he is currently the best scrum-half available. Girvan Dempsey's best position is fullback, despite a mediocre display at Ravenhill. Equally, Darragh O'Mahony looks a better all-round wing than Justin Bishop. Niall Woods' display at Ravenhill diminished rather than enhanced his prospects.

Denis Hickie and Mark McCall are out injured. But who plays at out-half is a key element in the type of game Ireland must play.

Form in the AIB League could also be a factor in bringing candidates forward for the national teams. Certainly the clubs welcome the start of the league. It is the main domestic competition and must be seen in that context. There is a compelling argument for restructuring elements of the league, but that is an issue to be addressed on another day.