Donal Lenihan: How the mighty Boks have fallen

How times have changed. When Ireland toured South Africa back in 1998, it was clear the only player in the Irish squad the Springboks knew was Keith Wood, who had played a key role in the Lions test series win over our hosts the previous season.

That trend continued for years when Irish trips to New Zealand or Australia would draw the usual bouquets for Brian O’Driscoll accompanied by a blissful ignorance of anyone else in the team. All week, in the build-up to Saturday’s test, the visiting Springboks love-bombed their hosts with eulogies flying left, right and centre.

Ireland are “the All Blacks of Europe”. Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton the best half-backs in the game. Tadhg Furlong the most menacing tight-head prop in Europe. And so it continued to the extent that one wondered would the tourists bother turning up at Lansdowne Road on Saturday. Perhaps some of them now wish they hadn’t.