Two brilliant drop goals by Frawley

In close games like this one player often steps up to win the game. In the WC that player was Pollard. Today he was flawless again, albeit with relatively easy kicks. But it wasn’t enough.

The amazing luck winning 3 one point games in a row comes into better focus. We learned a lesson today close contests aren’t always going to go our way.

Most of the match was a shapeless mess. The Irish centers weren’t great. Our lineout wasn’t great winning 14 out of 17. We still have no structured attack. Today Sasha was the player who provided the individual brilliance. This kid has far more potential than Libbok and maybe even Willemse.

We also had the whistle on our side most of the game…8 penalties vs 11 to Ireland. 

The lasting impression from this game was the professionalism of Ireland when they fell behind. This is a very mature team

We need somebody who will breathe life into the game plan. Who can provide structure and create opportunities. The only player I can think of in the backs  is Esterhozen. In the forwards, we need a ball carrier and offloader.

It’s naive to think players who were chosen for crash ball and defense are suddenly going to become creative. 

The Boks seemed to have a plan early on with Etzebeth rushing the Irish line, much like Esterhuizen against Aus in 2018 and Steph in WC Final 2019. Happened twice within the first 5 minutes and I don't think I really saw it again after that. Will have to watch again.