Here’s hoping that loss doesn’t cost Coetzee his game plan

WOW! LET’s start off by giving praise where it’s due. Ireland were terrific last week and deserved to win in Cape Town.

Their defence was superb, even when down to 13 men. There was an aura of relaxation about them, even when things got hectic, and that is a measure of a good side.

The work rate from No 1 to No 15, and from the bench, couldn’t be faulted. Boy, did the skipper lead by example. At flyhalf, Paddy Jackson controlled well and looked so confident that Johnny Sexton was hardly missed.

I loved Conor Murray’s game – with the exception of that late kick that gifted possession – and his one strike led to a try that Terry Holmes or even the great Joost van der Westhuizen would have been proud of.

They made history for Irish rugby last week and will be determined to make even more today by winning the series.

That South Africans have praised them as much as slamming the Springboks is perhaps the biggest compliment that can be paid.

Often in defeat here no credit is given to the victors because, as we all know, the Boks have a God-given right to win.

Those days are now gone because everyone is big, strong, conditioned and fit and not overawed by reputation.

In fact, last week was a major one for the north and it went some way to undoing the damage of the last World Cup. Be proud, Ireland. Nobody who hasn’t been there will ever understand just what it is like to be in a losing Springbok squad. It is as though you are guilty of committing some obscene sin and have been publicly exposed.

People might be polite to your face and make the right noises, but as a player you know what they are thinking. You have broken a sacred covenant with the country and you must pay.

I kid you not. That is what it feels like. It is ridiculous but fact.

Only a game? You must be joking. I’ve been there.

The good news is that there is a “get-out clause”. Win today and almost all will be forgiven. But even this presents a problem.

The Boks will be like a drowning man reaching for an overhanging branch that is the only chance of salvation. In other words, motivation is not an issue. Each player in the side will tear into today’s game like a man possessed. Just watch the early exchanges.

The problem is that this can lead to indiscipline and also breaking the ranks of format that actually set teams free.

The great attacking sides do have team structures, and within these creativity is given its head. Look at the All Blacks in action for this.

Over-motivation can be a problem today. What they need is relaxed anger inside.

The other key point is that the optimum state for playing expansive rugby is earned over time with repetition. It does not come easily.

So coach Allister Coetzee has a dilemma. Does he stick with his plan to evolve a more creative game or does he put it on hold to grind out a win at any cost today? What would you do? He needs to be rock solid in his belief that better times will come, and he needs to sell this to the players.

They must believe in the dream and work towards it. But here’s the rub: this plan will result in games being lost. If you’re a Bok coach, that means your job soon goes too.

Can Coetzee pull off the transformation to a winning, expansive side quickly enough? That is the big question.

A win today would help him greatly but, of more importance really, regardless of the result, would be the appearance of some more positive vignettes, like the first try last week.

Does the coach have the courage of his convictions?

I hope so.