Two years ago Ireland showed they could compete with South Africa for the guts of 80 minutes and at least make life difficult for a Springbok side that was emulating the world record of 17 successive Test wins. Alas, the real barometer of the countries' strength in depth was the ensuing A game four days later, when the Irish second string were simply gutted for the best part of 80 minutes.
The scoreline of 50-19 scarcely hinted at the divide, a more telling commentary being the try count of eight to one. Springbok insiders contend that that was possibly the best performance of their entire tour, but even so the experience was scary from an Irish viewpoint.
The Springboks had simply too much explosiveness in contact and pace and, lest we forget, the Irish management had employed one of the previous Saturday's starting Test team, Girvan Dempsey at full back, as well as all the replacements.
Hence, at home, and playing what was effectively a second string of players ranked 15 to 29 at the time, against a touring side ranked 23 down, it was hardly a contest. As much as next Sunday at Lansdowne Road, tonight's renewal of combat at A level will be as valuable a yardstick of Irish rugby's progress in the intervening 24 months.
Given the improved performances by Irish teams since - particularly by the provinces and last season's breakthrough championship success at A level - it will be disappointing if this Irish second-string doesn't ensure a much more competitive night out for the tourists. All the more so as the Declan Kidney-Niall O'Donovan coaching ticket seems to have the midas touch at this level, and then there is the Thomond Park factor.
"It's a long time since we've been able to put out an A side of the sort of strength that goes out in this game," Warren Gatland said yesterday. "A number of those players are unlucky not to be involved in this (senior) squad. We're very happy with the depth that we have in certain positions at the moment. It's a great opportunity for the players and again another yardstick to see what sort of progress we've made."
Gatland also suggested that playing the Springboks' Test team at the start of the European leg of their tour is probably the longer straw, in that they only stepped off the plane yesterday.
Nor have their preparations been ideal for tonight's game, even allowing for their midweek victory over an Argentinean side by 31-22, but against that the Irish A side have possibly drawn the shorter straw in another respect. With three Tests and a tour finale against the Barbarians at the Millennium Stadium to come, as well as more midweek games, these Springbok dirt-trackers still have plenty to play for.
There's also plenty of experienced Test campaigners in their Ollie le Roux-led midweek side who will feel they've a point to prove tonight, such as the restored Gaffie du Toit, now a more contented player since being converted to full back, and the scourge of Ireland two years ago, Stefan Terblanche.
Then again it looks like an altogether meatier and more experienced Irish A side than was even the case a couple of years ago. This should tell an interesting tale.
Ireland A: G Murphy (Leicester); J Bishop (London Irish), M Mullins (Young Munster), K Maggs (Bath), A Horgan (Cork Constitution); J Staunton (Garryowen), T Tierney (Garryowen) capt; E Byrne (St Mary's), S Byrne (Blackrock), P Wallace (Saracens), B Casey (Blackrock), M O'Driscoll (Cork Constitution), A Quinlan (Shannon), D Wallace (Garryowen), V Costello (St Mary's). Replacements: P Smyth (St Mary's), M Horan (Shannon), L Cullen (Blackrock), T McWhirter (Ballymena), B Free (Ballymena), E Elwood (Galwegians), J Kelly (Cork Constitution).
South Africa A: G du Toit; S Terblanche, D Kayser, J Mulder, G Passens; C Rossouw, D Davidson; O le Roux capt, D Du Preez, L Sephaka, H Louw, V Matfield, H Gerber, J Wasserman, AJ Venter. Replacements: C Marais, C van der Merwe, Q Davids, T Manana, D van Zyl, R Loubshcer.
