Whatever about the discrepancy between the respective first strings, once it becomes a test of second strings or lower then there is likely to be only one outcome.
Nonetheless, despite the gulf in size (primarily), as well as in technique and pace, the Provinces gave it a good go against the Springboks' midweek side to ensure an absorbing and enjoyable evening at Musgrave Park. The travelling media pack agreed this was the pick of the tourists' midweek games after a couple of romps in Scotland, and thus their best performance. That it came in Cork was a compliment to the sense of occasion and the spirited home effort, which brought out the best in the Boks.
Initially it hardly seemed an equal contest as the tourists did as they liked in contact: offloading to the support runner or going to ground after weighing up the options, and always driving forward.
They hardly had even an average player amidst some class ones. The all-round talents of Andre Venter, who reverted to the back-row in a pre-match reshuffle, were a class apart, while Toks van Der Linde and the rest of the back-row were prominent as the forwards and backs mixed seamlessly once it went beyond second and third phase.
In the face of all this, the Provinces did well and gradually warmed to their task. Some of the tackling was strong and true, led by Eddie Halvey who took the brunt of the target runners, while further out Mervyn Murphy applied some serious pressure.
The Shannon warhorses helped to lead the fightback up front, and Shane Horgan, too, was fearless when he came on.
The Springboks received a warmer welcome than any afforded the Irish tourists last summer in South Africa from the estimated 10,000 crowd - Musgrave Park's biggest attendance in at least seven years.
For much of the opening quarter they could only watch and admire. Stephen Bell did put in a couple of good early box kicks, John Kelly made a couple of good tackles, Ciaran Clarke recovered from a wobbly start with some good takes and strength in contact and Halvey's first-up tackles were top-drawer.
But, ominously, the rising waves of green attack quickly became tidal as the Provinces failed to secure their first couple of lineouts and scrums.
Any chance of relief could not be wasted; thus, it was no surprise when Barry Everitt's missed penalty to touch soon led to the breakthrough. From an Andre Venter take, the Springboks first mauled and then attacked off it on the open side, before Werner Swanepoel went blind for Andre Venter to score from Naka Drotske's pass.
Three minutes later South Africa attacked and scored even more incisively off a lineout 35 metres out. Van der Linde peeled powerfully off Selborne Boome's tap down, and Andre Vos provided the link for Braam van Straaten to power over and add the conversion. Somehow the Provinces contained the damage thereafter in the first period to a van Straaten penalty, and finished with an injury time flourish of three tap penalties. The ever alert Anthony Foley nearly caught the visitors out with the second.
Although van Straaten pulled a kickable, 30-metre penalty wide four minutes after the restart, it didn't take long for the visitors to regain control. Lourens Venter tidied up an Everitt chip ahead in midfield inside his own half, and South Africa quickly had the numbers lining up on the blind side to create a three-to-one overlap.
Gaffie du Toit went inside Ciaran Clarke and then offloaded for Robie Fleck to give Breyton Paulse room for a well-taken try.
However, the Provinces' confidence had risen with that pre-interval surge, and, by committing numbers to rucks, began to put a few passages of play together themselves. Mick Galwey rejected a probable three points for an attacking lineout, and a Munster blind side ploy off Jimmy Duffy's take produced the try: Galwey fed Halvey who scampered over to the biggest cheer of the night.
It was good, competitive stuff until the end, but the cutting edge remained with the 'Boks. When Fleck made the initial intrusion past Everitt, Swanepoel's expert box kick enabled Paulse to pilfer his fifth try of the tour. Then Ollie le Roux bulldozed over from Swanepoel's quick tap and feed.
Scoring sequence: 12 mins: A Venter try 05; 15 mins: van Straaten try and con 0-12; 40 mins: van Straaten pen 0-15; 50 mins: Paulse try, van Straaten con 0-22; 53 mins: Halvey try 5-22; 72 mins: Paulse try 5-27; 80 mins: le Roux try 5-32.
Combined Provinces: C Clarke (Terenure College); J Kelly (Cork Constitution), K Keane (Garryowen), M Murphy (Galwegians), J Cunningham (Ballymena); B Everitt (Lansdowne), S Bell (Dungannon); E Byrne (St Mary's College), A Clarke (Dungannon), J Hayes (Shannon), M Galwey (Shannon, capt), J Duffy (Galwegians), D Wallace (Garryowen), A Foley (Shannon), E Halvey (Shannon). Replacements: D O'Brien (Clontarf) for Foley (30-32 mins, and 66 mins), D Clohessy (Young Munster) for Hayes (42-48 mins, and 66 mins), S Horgan (Lansdowne) for Kelly (66 mins), S Byrne (Blackrock) for A Clarke (66 mins), P Stringer (UCC) for Bell (73 mins), S Mason (Ballymena) for C Clarke (76 mins), G Longwell (Ballymena) for Duffy (79 mins).
South Africa; L Venter (Griqualand West), R Fleck (Western Province), F Smith (Blue Bulls), B Paulse (Western Province); B van Straaten (Gauteng Falcons), W Swanepoel (Free State); T van der Linde (Western Province), N Drotske (Free State), W Meyer (Free State), J Trystman (Western Province), S Boome (Western Province), A Venter (Free State), A Vos (Golden Lions, capt), P Smit (Griqualand West). Replacements: O le Roux (Natal Sharks) for van der Linde (35-39, and 51 mins), D Kayser (Eastern Province) for Smith (55 mins), R Markram (Griqualand West) for van Straaten (72 mins), C Alcock (Eastern Province) for Swanepoel (72 mins), J Trystman (Western Province) for Drotske (72 mins).
Referee: F Maciello (France).
