A former Irish international who had toured South Africa always reckoned that an outsider would be a success as a coach in that country. He maintained that South Africa was a bubble of a country, and that rugby was a bubble within a bubble, relatively immune from outside influences and thus likely to benefit from them.

The transformation wreaked by national coach Nick Mallett would tend to support that theory. While not an outsider per se, he is not a dyed-in-the-wool Afrikaaner either.

The son of a headmaster, he is also the cosmopolitan son of South Africa's most cosmopolitan city, Cape Town. Actually born in Hertfordshire, he graduated with a degree in English and History from Cape Town University before becoming a postgraduate at Oxford University in Social Studies, and winning a blue in the 9-3 win over Cambridge at Twickenham in 1979. A big, powerful number eight, Mallett played for Western Province and twice for South Africa.

His cosmopolitan background is underpinned by his fluency in French, Italian, English and Afrikaans. He spent 15 years abroad, and aside from his playing career had coaching spells in Italy, France and Cape Town.

On first meeting him, he is a strikingly imposing individual. At his first press conference attended by Irish journalists during Ireland's tour last summer, he strode purposefully towards everyone, exchanging introductions and handshakes.

It isn't exactly the Warren Gatland way nor, come to think of it, quite the way of any other coach. Each question was given due deliberation and answered at length and articulately. Whatever about being arrogant, he is certainly very self-assured.

Mallett is clearly a visionary, modern-day coach and commands the respect he needs to impart his views. The Springboks had just lost a series at home to the Lions and were all but obliterated in the Tri-Nations, despite a concluding win over the Wallabies.

Against that backdrop, 15 straight wins under Mallett's tutelage speaks for itself. It's hard to believe now that the Lions would have won that series had Mallett been there. The Lions beat a traditional South African team, who primarily regard rugby as a macho challenge. Hence, they were obsessed with size and with physically dominating opponents.

Almost immediately after taking over, Mallett applied a bit of commonsense and far more variation to their game. The old maxim about a team reflecting the personality of its coach can be so true. The bottom line now is that the Springboks are a more intelligent side.

Mallett gusted through the South African squad like a breath of fresh air on their European tour 12 months ago. Despite that tour coming at the end of an 11-month season, the side was rejuvenated, sweeping aside France by a record 51-10 to kickstart their all-conquering tour.

Blessed with a talented bunch of supremely fit, all-round athletes, suddenly the emphasis was on keeping the ball in the hand, and their continuity and ability to offload in the tackle is something teams such as Ireland can only aspire to.

Even when on the back foot or in difficulties, their team is studded with match-winners. If the world's best scrum-half, Joost van der Westhuizen, doesn't suddenly take the game by the scruff of the neck (and he generally does) then Pieter Roussouw, Andre Snymon, the enigmatic Percy Montgomery or Stefan Terblanche probably will. They can defend for 70 minutes and win games in 10.

Newcomers are introduced with unerring timing, witness Terblanche's four-try debut against Ireland, and open side flanker Bobby Skinstad would appear the latest of them judging by his marauding, two-try performance against Scotland on Saturday which totally vindicated Mallett's selection of him ahead of Andre Venter.

They are, of course, coming into a winning team. The old swagger and superiority complex are back. They had one-point wins over both the All Blacks and the Australians in the Tri-Nations, and extricated themselves from deep trouble in that epic against Wales. They believe they will win every game they play.

Mallett has harnessed their innate competitiveness and aggressiveness to the world's best and fittest defensive unit. They can now patiently absorb pressure. Very well organised, they defend as a team, and so complete are they all that sometimes it doesn't seem to matter who is where.

They are more disciplined than ever before, adhering to one of Mallett's basic tenets. Ironically, the one time Mallett's mask came down was in the second Test against Ireland in Pretoria.

To portray his team as almost the innocent victims of an abrasive Irish team was a bit onesided, especially the defence at the time of van der Westhuizen's kick at a prostrate Malcolm O'Kelly. He even claimed that referee Joel Dume should have moved quicker to penalise O'Kelly and yellow card him for illegally spoiling South African possession. But privately, apparently, Mallett sang a different tune to van der Westhuizen, the abrasive James Dalton and captain Gary Teichmann.

In any event, Irish bitterness over that tour goes way deeper than that one incident or that one match. There was the slagging of an injured Keith Wood near the end of that test (imploring the "****ing softie" to get up, as they hadn't finished with him yet), oranges being thrown at Irish players from the crowd, the verbal abuse at pitch side in Kimberley for the Griqualand West match, the refusal to grant entry to the Irish team coach before the first test in Bloemfontein, the absence of scrum machines at training grounds, and the countless times names were mispronounced or mis-spelt at post-match receptions or in print by generally dismissive hosts.

Given its grudge element though, the Springboks will probably be glad to be here after the surreal nature of playing Wales in London and three mostly empty grounds in Scotland. Likewise, after the surreal World Cup qualifiers it will be good hosting them. In contrast to some of the treatment they received in Edinburgh on Saturday night (not worthy of print) this team deserves typical Irish hospitality - off the pitch.

Away from their own country, Mallett and his team can more effectively mount a charm offensive, and they've always got their brilliant rugby to talk for them. Next Saturday history beckons in the form of equalling the world record of 16 successive Test wins, and surpassing it the following week against England.

Placed in that context then, it's an even bigger chance for this Irish team to write their names forever in sporting folklore. Think about it. The match would be remembered more than if South Africa won it. Bigger even than Munster beating the All Blacks. Bigger than all the rest.