Defence coach Simon Easterby emphasised the need for a quicker Irish response to counter the Boks’ expansive attack when the teams clash in Durban on Saturday.
Easterby stressed the importance of improving on both sides of the ball, especially in the first half, after the Springboks caught Andy Farrell’s charges by surprise in the first Test on the Highveld last week.
A thrilling clash at a sold-out Loftus Versfeld saw the Irish suffer a 27-20 loss, and their first defeat to South Africa in eight years.
Quoted by RTE Sport in the buildup to the second and final Test of the series at Kings Park, Easterby noted the world champions’ new attacking approach while highlighting the importance for Ireland to sharpen up.
“They put the ball into space which we anticipated but we didn’t deal with that as well as we should have done,” he said.
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“Sometimes a team will find a way to get into space, we didn’t shut that down in the way that we would normally do.
“There are plenty of fixes for that but essentially, we have to be better on both sides of the ball especially in the first half. As the game went on we grew massively into the game and we finished strongly. We will take a lot of confidence from that.
“You can’t give a side like South Africa the type of space that we allowed because they have too many quality players to put you under pressure and take advantage of that space,” Easterby added.
In team news, centre Garry Ringrose might start after an impressive showing off the bench while Ronan Kelleher and Conor Murray are expected to replace the injured Dan Sheehan and Craig Casey.
Easterby also acknowledged the challenge posed by South Africa’s unchanged starting lineup but remains confident in Ireland’s ability to adapt and improve, avoiding back-to-back defeats and aiming for a strong finish to their season.
“That’s obviously a vote of confidence after their victory and it’s not unusual I guess. It gives those guys a chance to back up with another performance,” he said.
“We expected a similar type of team and they’ve gone with the same 23, which probably makes it a little easier previewing them because we know a lot of their individuals and we’re aware of a lot of strengths in their team.
When you put in a performance that doesn’t match the levels the lads have put in across the last couple of seasons, then there is clearly disappointment.
“There is no better group to take responsibility for that, to get a second opportunity this weekend.”
Photo: @Springboks/Twitter
The post Ireland wary of Bok threat out wide appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Src: sarugbymag.co.za
