Soon after the sides' third meeting in six months, South African coach Nick Mallett went into the Irish dressingroom and said: "Thank god you guys aren't in the same World Cup pool." You'd think that his Irish counterpart, Warren Gatland, would have seen enough of the Springboks as well, but no. "I'd love to be playing South Africa again next week," he said.

In truth, it is possibly as well that they don't meet for a while. As in any team sport, personal animosities build up the more sides meet, so Ireland and South Africa could probably do with a break from each other. That the coaches have differing views demonstrates how much more valuable these games have been to Gatland than to Mallett.

The Springboks coach hasn't been particularly effusive about Ireland's style, but he readily conceded that Ireland have made discernible progress. Citing the Springboks's best 12 minutes of the tour so far, in that devastating spell after half-time, Mallett attributed its brevity to the improved efforts of the home side.

"When they had the ball they kept it for longer periods, and of course we conceded too many penalties which allowed them to keep the play in our half. They even had six consecutive penalties on our line. So for long periods of play we didn't have the ball and that seems to be the way sides are playing against us now."

Ireland did it by playing to their strengths, Mallett said. "We had to defend well. Even though they don't really give you a test on the outside, they're bloody well in your face closer in; they're here and they're there, with another forward and another forward. I went into them afterwards and I said: `I'm really pleased you guys are in another World Cup pool.' Three times in one year is a lot."

Meanwhile, Gatland seemingly can't get enough of these Springboks. "You want to play games like this week-in and week-out, so that you learn and you get better, and next time you don't make the same errors. They'd probably get better as well, but if we can cut down some of the penalties and just switching off in terms of concentration, that's how you get better as a team."

Much of what they learnt, aside from total concentration for 80 minutes, was a reminder of old failings, such as the need for quicker ruck ball and converting pressure into points. "If we want to get closer to these sides then we have to be as clinical as they are," said Gatland, who conceded that the nearer Ireland gets to the line, the more they seem to panic. Eric Elwood did a passable imitation of an aircraft controller as he beseeched those inside him for the ball during that sustained spell of pressure in the second-half, and it transpires there was a breakdown in communication.

"We get a bit too narrow on the ball and we don't get enough width, which makes it even harder. It's something we are well aware of, and we're going to try and get a bit more width when we're close to someone's line. Sometimes old habits are a little bit hard to change and we possibly lose a little bit of vision as well close to the line."

Ireland's next outing is 10 weeks away, against France at Lansdowne Road on February 6th in what already looks like being a more competitive Five Nations Championship than last year. If there is a good time to play the French then first-up and at home is probably the best, although Gatland's predecessor, Brian Ashton, argued that after 16 weeks of sustained representative and international rugby, the AIL provides a dip in the level of match practice which is not ideal for the international home-based players.

"That is a very good point. Ulster and Munster at least have another game in the European Cup and hopefully either one or both can go a bit further, and we have 10 or 12 players playing in England. It is a little bit of a concern, but as long as the players continue to do the physical work that is required, then it's not something I would be too worried about."

In any event, Gatland remains strikingly upbeat about the future.

"I honestly believe that if this team gets a couple of wins under their belt, and gets a little bit of confidence, we will become a very, very good side. That's all that is required at the moment; a couple of wins and a little bit of confidence."

Meanwhile, in keeping with his policy of giving each of his original 36-man squad at least two starting appearances on their eight-match tour, Mallett has promoted all six replacements from the game against the Combined Provinces for tomorrow night's finale to the Irish leg of their tour against Ireland `A' in Belfast.

In addition, recent addition Brent Moyle comes straight into the team at tight-head in place of Willie Mayer, whose young daughter died last Thursday.

South Africa (v Ireland A): G du Toit (Griqualand West); R Markram (Griqualand West), R Fleck (Western Province), F Smith (Blue Bulls), D Kayser (Eastern Province); B van Straaten (Gauteng Falcons), C Alcock (Eastern Province); T van der Linde (Western Province), O Nkumane (Golden Lions), B Moyle (Gauteng Falcons), A Venter (Free State Cheetahs), J Trystman (Western Province), C Krige (Western Province), A Vos (Golden Lions, capt), P Smit (Griqualand West). Replacements: B Paulse (Western Province) L Venter (Griqualand West), W Swanepoel (Free State), S Boome (Western Province), N Drotske (Free State), O le Roux (Natal Sharks).