THERE WAS NO big night out to blow off steam as Ireland head into the final week of a long season. Instead, Andy Farrell’s men had a quiet evening back at their hotel in Johannesburg.
The list of walking wounded from the first Test defeat to the Springboks in Pretoria yesterday meant it might have been muted even if Ireland had managed to edge their way to a win.
The injuries will make Ireland’s lives more difficult in the second Test but they’re in no doubt that they have the ability to earn their country’s second-ever win on South African soil.
Last night, Ireland packed up a truck to bring their bags and training gear to Durban on the east coast. The squad will follow on an hour-long flight to South Africa’s third-biggest city this afternoon.
While Springboks fans felt Pretoria was the perfect place to bring Ireland for the first Test, there’s not as much confidence about their record at Kings Park Stadium in Durban.
It’s on the coast so the altitude factor is taken out of the mix and South Africa supporters can remember a hammering at the hands of the All Blacks in Durban in 2016, as well as a beating from Argentina the year before.
The Boks’ most recent game at Kings Park was a win over the Pumas in 2022 but they haven’t played there very often, just six times in the last decade.
Ireland will enjoy the sight of the sea as they demand one last push from their bodies and minds, their mission of beating the Boks on South African soil still driving them.
“The message in the changing rooms after the game was not to dwell on it, not to sulk too much and feel sorry because there’s still a big game coming next week,” said number eight Caelan Doris of the feeling in the camp.
“We want to finish the season on a high with a good performance and a win, so lads are pretty battered but we’ll recover well and get into it on Monday.”
Though you suspect it will be a relatively light week of training on the pitch, Ireland have lots of things they want to sharpen up on ahead of the second Test.
“A good bit of frustration about how we went in the first half, some of our discipline, they miss two or three shots at goal so we were lucky with that to be able to hang in, one score in the game,” said Doris.
“Definitely a lot of frustration but it’s a big week coming up so we can’t dwell on it too much. We have to look forward and try to fix some of the things that didn’t go right for us today and try to get a win next week.
“I think that’s why it’s frustrating because we feel we’re definitely good enough to get a win away from home in a pretty hostile environment. We relish that challenge and it’s definitely frustrating not coming out on top but the belief is still there and we’re going to rock into the week and not dwell on the loss.”
Doris was Ireland’s best player in the opening Test and he will be key again in Durban.
The number eight said the performances of other players in his position around the world are inspiring him to push for another level.
“I would have spoken to you guys about trying to get my attacking game back to where it was maybe a few years ago,” said Doris.
“So I’ve had a little more emphasis on my carries over the last few weeks and I’ve been happy enough with how that’s going. I’ve been watching Ben Earl, Aaron Wainright, Rob Valetini, caught glimpses of them, and seeing so many other eights playing so well definitely pushes you to try and bring your A game. But obviously, the team result and performance is the main thing.”
Doris took over the Irish captaincy when Peter O’Mahony was replaced in the 50th minute, continuing to lead by example with his play but struggling to get a good rapport with referee Luke Pearce.
There were more than a few frustrations for Ireland in that sense but Doris will keep working at improving that aspect of his captaincy.
“It’s tricky trying to get the balance right between being there, being a presence, and trying to have some sort of influence but not pushing it too far where you’re having a negative effect. So it’s trying to get that balance right, it’s something to get better at.”
Karl Dickson is the referee for the second Test and as Ireland turn the page on last night, they’ll be looking at how to best deal with him, as well as how they can beat the Boks and finish this season on a high.
