RESET AND REFOCUS. That’s been the challenge for Andy Farrell’s players as they reintegrate back to the provinces this week, where some will feature across the URC’s return over the coming days, and more will come back into the mix for the start of the new Champions and Challenge Cup campaigns next week.

A fresh focus might help shake off the disappointment of last Saturday’s defeat to South Africa, but the game already feels like one that will be used as a key reference point leading into the 2027 World Cup.

Yet the message from those within the camp has been that the defeat wasn’t quite as harrowing as many on the outside have made it out to be. 

“I think it’s a unique game and a valuable experience for anyone that was involved,” says Garry Ringrose, echoing the thoughts of Ireland coach Johnny Sexton.

“I hope we can be better for it off the back of it. What I admire about South Africa is that they’re really dangerous across the pitch. Some people say they’re just a really physical team, but I’ve played against them plenty of times and lost to them before. That’s not just the case to pigeon-hole them into just one aspect.

“They’re clinical, they’re fast out wide. They put a huge amount of respect on the simple elements of the game, simple skills, catch, pass. They work tirelessly for each other on defence.

“There’s loads of aspects of their game that I’m preparing against when playing against them and admire. I suppose they’re number one in the world for a reason. They’ve won two World Cups for a reason. It’s not just being good at one or two things, which sometimes people make it out to be.”

Ringrose was speaking as the RDS and Leinster Rugby announced the renaming of the RDS Arena to ‘Laya Arena’. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

At the moment, few teams can live with those Springboks. Yet they haven’t been the only side who have managed to get the better of Ireland this year. The month started with New Zealand finishing on top of Andy Farrell’s men to win in Chicago, while earlier in the year France blitzed their way to a five-try, bonus-point win in Dublin. True, these are three of the best teams in the world, but they are also the teams Ireland will need to better if they are to make World Cup history in two years time.

Those performances, coupled with the slow and steady re-emergence of England as a genuine force, have fed into a feeling Ireland are slipping back from the leading pack.

“I think the games have fallen on such fine margins,” Ringrose says.

“Certainly in Chicago, if one or two things had gone differently, it could have been a different result. Equally on the weekend. I wouldn’t overthink that massively.

“The games fall on such fine margins that on the ones that go wrong, they maybe get microscoped or zoomed or enlarged and made bigger on those fine margins. When we win, sometimes it’s easy from the outside to gloss over it.

“In terms of the coaches and the players: everyone is as objective as possible and maybe doesn’t get caught up in anything outside. Those performance markers, the elements of the game that contributed to winning or losing, that’s how I see it.”

If South Africa’s demolition job on the Ireland scrum was the main talking point coming away from the game, the number of cards shown by referee Matthew Carley and his officials was a close second. Ireland can have little complaint with the four yellow cards and one red they picked up, but could understandably be aggrieved that Springboks 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu escaped punishment for his early hit on Tommy O’Brien – a collision which Ringrose angrily reacted too.

“I probably was a bit animated after that and potentially should have checked on Tommy to make sure he was all right. Thankfully he was,” Ringrose says.

Ringrose clashed with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Gary Carr / INPHO Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO

“These things happen in the game. I did a high shot against Wales in the last Six Nations and got the card. It’s a tough spot for referees to be in.

“There is the blessing and the curse of being able to slow it down and loads of different replays. I don’t think I’d last long if I was in the middle. I do feel for them from that perspective.”

True as that may be, supporters are growing increasingly frustrated with the inconsistency around what does and does not result in a card. This November window saw Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne, Japan’s Harry Hockings and South Africa’s Franco Mostert all have red cards rescinded.

Then you have incidents like the Feinberg-Mngomezulu one which go unpunished, despite many feeling the hit should have warranted at least a yellow. Many others felt James Ryan was perhaps lucky to not see a straight red for his clearout on Malcolm Marx, which resulted in a yellow, later upgraded to a 20-minute red.

As one of the key defenders in Farrell’s team, Ringrose admits he’s had to be particularly conscious of striking the right balance in terms of his aggression in his defence.

Over the last number of years you definitely have to be more conscious, irrespective of cards and 20 minutes.

“It is a fine line because it’s not about being aggressive but doing what’s best for the team at any moment. When you don’t have the ball, to try and get the ball back or put the opposition under pressure, to then cough up or give the ball back to you in some way. You’re trying to thread that line to do what’s best for the team but then be as controlled as possible. It can be tough but, again, it makes it a good challenge too. It’s funny, some of the language stuff, as a player, I don’t get too caught up.

“I know the captains and leaders maybe need to be able to talk to the referees in the right ways and say the right things. But as a player, you’re only ever just trying to thread that line of helping the team but then being as controlled as possible so that you don’t make contact with the head, or wrap, or all these different things that do come into play.

“So you’d be practising them, in training, consciously practising, but then a lot of it would be before training and after to just get reps and just repetition after repetition of doing the right things. So that one, in the heat of the moment, that’s what you kind of fall on.”

Now back at Leinster, there will be a big arrival at the province later this week as Rieko Ioane touches down in Dublin ahead of his short-term move.

“I can’t wait for Rieko to come in and get to play and train with him to get his perspective on things. I thought it was great with Jordie (Barrett) last year, when you’re rubbing shoulders with guys that have done it on the biggest stage.

“And especially my position is unbelievably exciting. We’ll try and pick his brain and learn as much as I can from him. I’ve no doubt he’ll help Leinster perform and hopefully we can win.”