Beast of an affair becomes a thing of beauty

Everybody loves to see the schoolyard bully getting a bloody nose now and again and that’s exactly what happened when South Africa pitched up at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The look of bewilderment on the face of Springbok full-back Willie Le Roux when he fumbled possession after running down yet another blind alley with nine minutes left summed up perfectly the position the visitors found themselves in. They were left with nowhere to turn.

Every time it looked as if a gap was about to open for a monstrous South African ball-carrier to make inroads, an Irish body came hurtling from nowhere to cut him off at the pass. Ireland’s commitment in defence was both inspirational and sustained throughout the entire 80 pulsating minutes of Saturday’s 29-15 victory over the Boks.