Achilles healed in a triumph that carries plenty of psychological significance 

You win some, you lose some but the impact of Andy Farrell's men seeing off a Springbok team of such heft, nous and skill could be lasting

SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT: Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan and Jimmy O’Brien celebrates Mack Hansen’s try. Pic: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

Perception and reality don’t always move to the same rhythm. Listen to the drum beats that soundtracked the steps of various Irish teams this last while and you might think that there is a saturation point of muscle mass that was simply beyond them.

It’s true, of course, that the provinces have found some of rugby’s behemoths too big a task at times, and Ireland have had to endure sieges against the might of England and France, but the picture was never as black and white as it was painted.