Schmidt must accept blame for failing to heed the warning signs
NEVER MIND the fairytale, this was cruel. For nearly three quarters of this contest, the tourists demonstrated why last weekend’s first defeat of the Springboks on their own patch was no fluke.
They had built a 16-point interval lead, combining a resolute defensive manning of the barricades (they missed just a single tackle in the entire first half) with ball-in-hand efficiency. The opportunistic improvisation of Andrew Trimble, scooping a bobbling pull-back through a South African player’s legs by the touchline to help set up Devin Toner for his try, encapsulated all that was good in a stubborn Ireland display.
That score had confidence soaring that Ireland were on the cusp of winning a series against one of the southern hemisphere’s big three for the first time since Australia 37 years ago. It helped that their generous hosts were once more performing like a bunch of strangers assembled by new coach Allister Coetzee just half an hour before kick-off.
Having survived the handicap of being a man short for 57 minutes in Cape Town last weekend following the sending-off of CJ Stander, though, the obstacles presented at lungbursting altitude in Johannesburg yesterday, proved insurmountable.
However, the leakage of 29 points in the closing 24 minutes was a criminal amount of points to concede. The finger of blame must, unfortunately, be pointed at Joe Schmidt (below); the warning signs that this late surge would materialise, were there to see.
Studies have shown how sea level based teams can suffer from altitude induced fatigue brought on by multi-phase play. The distraction of having to suck even harder for oxygen leaves visiting teams more likely to miss extra tackles in the second half, score fewer secondhalf points and make fewer second half gain line advances than under normal conditions.
So it proved again, Schmidt’s rejigged team, which had four unforced changes along with the forced adjustment for the banned Stander, all out of puff and on its knees by the finish.
A week ago, the coach left three players on his bench for the entire match, such was the lack of South African penetration and in spite of their extra man but, here, the emergency situation was accelerated by the lack in depth of the replacements. Better choices were needed to stepin for starters who visibly wilted in a second half where the Boks made 371 metres off 71 carries during an emphatic 29-7 scoreboard turnabout. None of the four starting heroes left out from last week – Mike Ross, Jordi Murphy, Keith Earls and Luke Marshall – were considered as subs, and it can’t go unnoticed how Damian de Allende, with rookies Kieran Marmion and Tiernan O’Halloran still rooted unused on the bench, blasted his way through the combined weak tackle of over-worked pair Conor Murray and Trimble to grab the critical 75th minute lead-taking score. It means a series that should be done and dusted remains alive and kicking. Cruel stuff.