Boks musn’t be a bad Irish joke

Only a cynical, worldly-wise Irishman could write, as Sean O’Casey once did: “All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.”

When the Springboks run on to the emerald green turf of the Aviva Stadium in Dublin later today, they will be hoping the poet’s words will not reflect on their performance.

For, there is no denying that this young Bok side – talented and energetic as it is in many ways – is still lacking in experience at the top levels of international rugby.

And their opponents, the Irish, will be looking to capitalise on that because most of the rugby contests involving Northern Hemisphere teams are close-run affairs, where guile, tactics and knowledge are as important as power and speed.

Those who can remember that far back, are still shocked that the Irish – once the no-hopers of the Five Nations – could even be mentioned in the same breath as the Springboks, never mind be considered a possible threat to the South African men.

But the world has changed, and world rugby has changed. No international side is ever going to be a pushover. Our boys must make the most of their time on stage today.