The bars, bistros and boulevards were thronged and fans saw a brilliant display from their team against the world champions
, 27 wins in 29, including the last 15 in a row. Even so, they were the world’s No 1 team in 2019, too, and still went out in the quarter-finals, like always. This, then, was the first real Test of whether hope might bloom into expectation.
It was world No 1s against world No 2s, the tournament’s sternest defence against its sharpest attack. The South Africans had conceded exactly three points in 160 minutes of rugby, just the one miserable penalty goal against Scotland. Ireland, meanwhile, had peeled off 20 tries in two games, more than they scored in the entire pool stages in 2019.
The match lived up to it. It was always going to be low-scoring, games between these two teams usually are, and it was always going to be tight as a miser’s purse strings, there’s only been a score between them in seven of their last 10. But it was still rich viewing for the neutral.
It matched Ireland’s intricate attacking patterns, their knit one, purl one needlework play, all short passes and wraps and loops, against South Africa’s lunatic blitz defence, which had shut down Scotland back in the opening round. Against the Boks, the man on the ball doesn’t have time to take half a breath before the tackler is on him. Blink before you think and next thing you know you’ve been knocked into next week. If you’re lucky the doctor will pass you fit to play again in the spring.
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