What next for the Springboks after Ireland defeat?

South Africa lost 13-8 against Ireland on Saturday night in Paris, a loss that will sting the Boks but certainly doesn’t rule them out of the competition.

For South Africa, some self-scouting is required after Manie Libbok and Faf de Klerk missed a series of kicks that could have secured a Bok victory. Do they need an experienced goal kicker like Handre Pollard in the team?

For a lot of the game, Ireland were under serious pressure from a rabid Boks side. Pieter-Steph du Toit at flanker and Faf de Klerk were imperious at times, whilst Damien Willemse seemed to catch everything kicked his way. The forwards all fronted up but weren’t able to consistently establish the front-foot ball they would have been hoping for.

Libbok has been a revelation since he entered the fray as a Bok, offering great ball skills and accurate kicking out of hand. Pollard doesn’t offer the same attacking flair as Libbok but those who saw him play for Leicester Tigers last season will notice he played with a newfound freedom in attack.

An area that wouldn’t be hurt by Pollard’s inclusion would be the defence, such a strength of this Bok team. Pollard is a big unit for an out-half and has spent enough time at 12 to be a solid addition.

Coach Jacques Nienaber’s decision to go with seven forwards and one back on the bench sparked some controversy in the media, with some viewing it as against the spirit of the game. On Saturday it showed it’s impact with the Boks’ forwards never missing a beat but when a team is chasing a game, having a difference maker in the backs to bring on would have been a nice option.

The Springboks were beaten by an Ireland side that is peaking at the exact right time, with the most skillful pack in world rugby and backs that can do it all (including a winger picking up Eben Eztebeth like he was a child) there is certainly no shame in losing to this iteration of Ireland.

Often the best games are thought of as back-and-forth, high-scoring affairs with tries galore. Saturday showcased an entirely different game but one that will live long in the memory of rugby purists. These are two teams playing sport on a completely different level to most at the moment.

The job doesn’t get any easier for South Africa given the imbalance of the draw, with the Boks set to face the hometeam France in the quarter-finals, should everything play out as we expect in the next few games.

France are flying high, with the home crowd behind them and depth, unlike any team in the world. The loss to Antoine Dupont to a facial injury is a big one but they have two or three other scrum-halfs that start for most teams in the world, meaning the drop-off shouldn’t be too big.

It is a very real possibility Ireland and South Africa will meet again in the final, certainly a game no one would want to miss. It would mean Ireland overcame their mental block around World Cup quarter-finals though…