LeRouxIsPHat wrote:Jackson was unbelievable. As others have mentioned, that last penalty was a complete joke. De Klerk gives away one of the most blatant pens you'll ever see yet somehow he gives it to them. There were loads of penalties that just made no sense to give against us. South Africa were constantly failing to roll away and lived offside, yet he didn't give a yellow (or even a warning?) for them.
We made a lot shitty little mistakes, really frustrating. Especially because that midfield and Trimble should all be well used to each other. Awful pity that we had to shuffle the backs around a bit, particularly in light of the changes we'd already had to make. Thought TOH started well and Earls looked decent too, he was pretty much anonymous at fullback though. Healy really struggled IMO, didn't look comfortable at all and there were a few times where he clearly didn't even know where to stand after a few phases. Thought our pack went really well for the most part. Obviously the scrum struggled but I thought that was down to Jackson's incompetence as much as anything else.
Disagree with the complaints about the subs. At around the hour mark I was thinking the same thing about needing some of the subs on (Dillane in partcular) but the guys who would potentially have been replaced were all playing really well and more importantly, we had totally lost our shape. I thought there was a real danger of that getting even worse if we made subs. And to my mind the fact that we rallied first before making the subs and then finished strongly validated that.
Gutting not to win, I did feel it was gone once we blew it last week though. Hopefully the win away and the fact that we were so competitive in the other tests will stand to everyone going forward. There were certainly lots of positives and I think we're heading in the right direction. Hopefully this tour was a stepping stone to a win against NZ in the autumn, I feel like it might be.
Just while I have them fresh in my head, the positives for me would be:
Jack McGrath: he's world class and kept it up for 3 tests at the end of a very long season, really impressive.
Furlong: looked really comfortable at this level and now has a start in an important game under his belt. Ross did better than a man of his years should really be able to manage.
Henderson: Bordering world class now. He might have been offside when he robbed De Klerk but that was a brilliant piece of play and he waited as long as he possibly could to do it. His close in carries and general defence are invaluable.
Toner: Put in 3 huge performances against a team who should really destroy him given the physical differences.
Jordi: Not saying he's my first choice 7 or anything but he proved me very wrong with how well he played in his two tests. Delighted for him and hope he can keep up this form next season.
Jackson: Not just good back up but an option to start IMO. Made some mistakes but in general he was brilliant and looked very comfortable running the show.
Olding/Marshall: a mixed bag for both but overwhelmingly positive for me. Marhsall looked like a real leader out there in a way that I never imagined he would two or three years ago.
Payne at fullback: simply has to start there from now on unless we're desperate for a 13. Even if Rob recaptures his best form, I think Payne's attacking game suits the attack that we need to take on the big boys.
Andy Farrell: improved our linespeed and added some nice little touches. Defence wasn't perfect but thought most of the mistakes were just poor individual mistakes and mostly by back up players.
+1 x Ω
Excellent piece with which I totally agree. But Roux must also be included as one for the future. Hopefully Easterbunny has really given Quinn a bollocking about his work-rate in getting into rucks and generally using his enormous strength throughout a game, rather than only when there's a soft target. He must not graduate to the CJ van de Lindt role as a "ruck inspector". There will be others who can do that job better and who cannot do the job he can in shifting pundage.
Pat Lam and Jimmy Duffy have the greatest chance of bringing about this development and they can also help Connacht replace Muldowney with a younger, and possibly stronger, model.
Roux has the potential to make Tadgh Furlong a world class THP, as was evident in 50 minutes in Jo'berg. That would be an extraordinary development for Irish rugby with the presence of McGrath, and hopefully Healy, on the other side. However, we must also realise that we need to develop a replacement for Rory Best within about 2 seasons, and the candidates do not include Cronin, Strauss, Sherry or Herring. He might come from Connacht, even if originating from NZ.
But my previously expressed opinion is that we need to find a physically big man to become expert for the approx. 10 scrums and line-out throws which have become so specialist, but which have also increased in importance as try-scoring opportunities.
From past experience, this is possible and maybe Jonathon Treacy may have already taken the necessary step. But, my strong preference is Peader Timmons and I truly believe, he would be good enough within 2 years to be an Irish Squad hooker, but not an international flanker or No 8, certainly within the same timeframe.