Ireland v South Africa reaction

The Springboks cried foul at the hands of referee Paul Honiss after they were beaten by Ireland at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, but the media don't seem to feel it would have made much of a difference in the end.

"GRAND Slam? Grand Sham, more like it.

"South Africa were undone as much by their own ineptitude as they were by the bumbling of referee Paul Honiss as they slumped to unexpected defeat against Ireland yesterday.

"Inflamed and inspired, the Irish scored a controversial early try and then defended heroically to put an end to one of the most enduring records in rugby history — their first defeat of the Springboks in 39 years."
- Clinton van der Berg, Sunday Times (SA)

"No smell of boerewors outside Lansdowne Road on Saturday and not a sniff of a Grand Slam inside the ground, after this upset.

"The more confident among the South African supporters - or should that be arrogant - had reckoned this one was the warm-up for Twickenham next Saturday. But there won't be a South African party in London now, whatever the outcome.

"The Grand Slam is gone.

"And rightly so, if I am to be brutally honest. Because South Africa were woeful in Dublin, totally ineffective and riddled with technical failings. When captain John Smit dropped the ball as his team mounted a last-gasp series of raids which had desperation writ large upon them, it perfectly epitomised the kind of display the captain and his team had given.

"They didn't deserve to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive and it is back to the drawing board for Jake White's men. Perhaps no-one will have learned a more humbling lesson than the coach himself."
- Peter Bills, Cape Argus (SA)

"This was Ireland's first win over South Africa since 1965. It was greeted accordingly. Revenge was exacted for the two Test defeats in the summer, and South Africa's hopes of crowning their re-emergence under Jake White with a Grand Slam tour are now in tatters.

"It was there for them to win, but they couldn't make power pay against a defence that was prepared to disengage the pain button."
- Brendan Fanning, Sunday Independent (Ire)

"The Tri Nations Championship has not been going that long, but when its champions come calling on Europe, the aura of the southern hemisphere in all its rugby majesty tends to come with them. South Africa arrived and declared themselves hell-bent on winning every one of their four Tests against the old Home Unions.

"Once upon a time, those same unions would have quaked at the issue of such a menace. Ireland took the challenge posed by the team that had beaten them twice in the summer in South Africa and laid on a welcome in Dublin that was a rare blend of hostility and controlled defiance. The end result was only the second victory in the long history of Irish rugby over the Springboks.

"With the Grand Slam off the agenda, the Springboks must now go to Twickenham. It may be an anti-climax for them; for New England, it certainly won't be. For Ireland, this was their main match of the autumn. They can afford to do some heavy celebrating."
- Eddie Butler, The Observer

"Whoever said that revenge is a dish best served cold didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. White-hot is how it was at a heaving Lansdowne Road — and by white we mean the colour of Ireland’s jerseys and not the surname of the Springbok coach.

"From the moment John Hayes came over all emotional during the national anthem to the closing minutes of desperate Springbok pressure to the final whistle which sparked chaotic scenes all over the field, this was a day of unbreakable drama with an unforgettable conclusion, an 'I was there' occasion if ever there was one."
- Tom English, The Times (Eng)